Punishment for Forgery in Nigeria.
Forgery is defined by Wikipedia as “the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud”.
Hence, forgery involves falsifying records or signature, copying money or documents and generally making a false document or altering a genuine one to use in cheating others or gaining personal advantage.
Forgery is a criminal offense. It has acquired this status in Nigeria and other countries of the world.
What this means is that if you are caught forging, you will be treated as a criminal and made to face the full weight of the law.
Forgery in Nigeria has been on the rise in recent times. This is mainly influenced by the growing rate of unemployment and joblessness.
The Nigerian constitution however, has made provision for such a crime as this. Following is the penalty for forging a document or money in Nigeria. The punishment for forgery in Nigeria is found stipulated in the Criminal Code Act.
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In Section 465 of the Criminal Code Act, forgery is defined thus:
“A person who makes a false document or writing knowing it to be false, and with intent that it may in any way be used or acted upon as genuine, whether in the State or elsewhere, to the prejudice of any person, or with intent that any person may, in the belief that it is genuine, be induced to do or refrain from doing any act, whether in the State or elsewhere, is said to forge the document or writing”.
There are different punishments stipulated for various degrees of forgery in Nigeria. They are as highlighted below!