“Court Acquits Femi Fani-Kayode of Medical Forgery Charges”

Femi Fani-Kayode, the former Minister of Aviation, has been acquitted and discharged by the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, of the charge of medical forgery brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe delivered the ruling on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, following a no-case submission filed by Fani-Kayode’s counsel, Norrison Quakers (SAN).

In her judgment, Justice Abike-Fadipe stated that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the former minister, highlighting that there was no link between Fani-Kayode and the alleged crime. The judge further noted that extrajudicial statements intended as evidence could not be used to support the case unless they were being used to contradict the individual who made the statements in court.

She said, “I have carefully studied the evidence of the prosecution witnesses, and I cannot find where the defendant committed the offences being alleged,” and concluded that the prosecution had failed to establish a case warranting Fani-Kayode to open his defense.

Following the ruling, Fani-Kayode expressed his relief and joy at his discharge, stating to reporters that he felt liberated after enduring 18 years of court battles.

The EFCC had charged Fani-Kayode with 12 counts related to alleged medical forgery after he reportedly submitted forged medical reports in his defense in a fraud case before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court, Lagos. The charges were linked to his involvement in an alleged N4.9 billion fraud.

One of the charges alleged that Fani-Kayode fraudulently used a false medical report from Kubwa General Hospital in Abuja, which he had purportedly submitted in October 2021 as part of his defense in the fraud case. However, during the trial, the management of Kubwa General Hospital testified that they had never admitted Fani-Kayode as a patient, and their head of medical records, Bassey Amah, confirmed that the hospital did not issue the medical report.

With the court’s decision, the charges against Fani-Kayode have been dismissed, and he has been acquitted and discharged.