An Ogudu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Thursday sentenced a 37-year- old pharmacy attendant, Chohwora Anthony, to five years imprisonment for impersonating a pharmacist.

The court pronounced the verdict after the accused pleaded guilty to impersonating Mr Makanjuola Mogbonjuola
Emmanuel, a pharmacist.

He forged the annual licence no. 681174 dated Sept. 14, 2012 to practice and also used it to look for jobs.

The convict, who resides at No. 5, Owodunni St., Ketu, on the outskirts of Lagos, was arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on false representation and forgery.

The Magistrate, Mrs O. Sule Amzat, before giving her judgment, had found out from the prosecutor that Chohwora had sometime in January stolen a pharmacist’s certificate.

He started using the certificate bearing ‘Bola’, before he was caught and jailed.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Sgt. Lucky Ihiehie, told the court that Chohwora committed the offences on June 7 at Plot 18, Block A1, Prince Adesoji Ajose St., Holy Fire Evangelical Ministry, Ogudu Express, Lagos.

Ihiehie said the complainant, Mrs Abiola Ozieh, the Chairman, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Lagos State Branch, reported the case at Ogudu Police Station.

“The convict, who has been parading himself as a pharmacist, came to her office during their executive meeting at Holy Fire Evangelical Ministry, Ogudu Express.

“He introduced himself as Pharmacist Makanjuola Mogbonjuola Emmanuel, and that he was looking for a job.

“It then dawned on the complainant that he is the fake pharmacist, who has been parading himself with different identities, duping people of huge sums of money,” Ihiehie said.

(NAN)