Woman jailed for forging marriage certificate to fight divorce case in Ibadan

By Anuoluwa Amao

A 50-year-old woman, Bolanle Adeyemo, has been sentenced to one year in prison by a Mapo Grade ‘A’ Customary Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, for forging a marriage certificate and presenting it as evidence in her divorce proceedings.

The court, presided over by Mrs S.M. Akintayo, convicted Adeyemo after she pleaded guilty to charges relating to unlawful possession and forgery of the document.

The judge said the court exercised discretion in sentencing the woman, taking into consideration her guilty plea and the evidence presented by the prosecution.

Adeyemo was sentenced to one year on the two counts, with an alternative of one month of community service. A separate conspiracy charge against her was dismissed by the court.

The case began in March when Adeyemo’s 55-year-old husband, Adeboye Adeyemo, approached the court seeking dissolution of their marriage over what he described as persistent disagreements.

Rather than accept the divorce petition, Bolanle contested the proceedings and insisted that the marriage was valid and should not be dissolved.

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In an attempt to establish the legitimacy of the marriage, she produced a marriage certificate before the court as evidence.

However, her husband challenged the authenticity of the document, insisting that no such certificate had ever been issued to them.

He also questioned the date of September 12, 1996, which appeared on the document, alleging that it was fabricated.

The dispute over the authenticity of the certificate prompted the court to involve the police for further investigation.

Prosecutor, Inspector Ayodele Ayeni, told the court that Bolanle had presented the disputed document at about 9 a.m. at Mapo, Ibadan, as part of her defence against her husband’s divorce petition.

The investigation subsequently established that the document was forged, leading to the criminal charges against her.

The conviction has now turned what began as an attempt by the woman to preserve her marriage into a criminal case and prison sentence.