SWORN AFFIDAVIT - A LEGAL DOCUMENT SO ABUSED!!!

The Age Long Pervasive Malpractices And Fraud Associated with its Intergrity as a Legal Document, The Issuance Process, Procedures, Manifest Complicity and Loss of Revenue. Originally meant to validate the authenticity, genuineness and legality of information, documentation and processes, sworn affidavits, as we have it today, hardly worth the paper on which they are printed.

A cesspool of anything and everything that`s negative and wrong, the judicial and police system that are supposed to superintend over the issuance procedures seem not only helpless, men in both sections are, allegedly, neck-deep in the shenanigans and so, complicit.

In years gone by and till date, ascertaining unregistered dates of birth and exact ages, proof of marital status, loss of valuable documents like Driver's License, Work Identification Cards, International Passport et al are established by deposing to an affidavit. Unfortunately, sworn affidavit have become more unreliable than most documents and circumstances it was intended to validate due to circumvention of systems and prevarication by staff trusted with the processes.

One would be shell-shocked to discover that, today, nine out of every ten sworn affidavits and possibly same number of Police Extracts supporting them have no file copies since they were, in most cases, procured or made out by 'road-side stenographers' and dubious cyber cafes working for their accomplices in the Court premises and unscrupulous Police Officers who would do anything for money and ready to sell the Country they swore to defend for a plate of Porridge.

Discreet investigations revealed several judicial staff who work hands-in-gloves with touts that already have templates of different versions as the needs arise, procured rubber stamps of Commissioners of Oath and are in pocession of the Official Seals of Approving Authorities. They simply collect relevant information and documents from their victims, link up with their 'Police partners in crime' for an Extract where applicable after collecting the charged fees which goes to only one place; their pockets. These fraudulent experiences do not just rob whatever final document given to the Deponent of its integrity, it impugns the authority of the issuing Court and deprives Government of revenue accruable from the exercise.

More damaging is the fact that Government Agencies have relied on such fake, manipulated Affidavits to issue vital documents like Driver`s Licenses to unqualified, undeserving applicants who, by that act, have themselves become accidents waiting to occur with the attendant fatalities on our roads.

Good news is: with how technology has improved the activities of the Nigerian Immigration Service, particularly, in the issuance of International Passports, same can be deployed to mitigate the unwholesome activities of the cartels in our Courts and Police Divisions who profit from issuing fake, forged and ineffectual documents as Sworn Affidavits.

Working with relevant agencies of government and leveraging on tech-driven media, we are poised to replicate the new, refreshing experiences with Passport issuance and renewal by sanitising the red-tapism, excessive bureaucratic procedures within our Police Department and Courts which unscrupulous elements have exploited over the years and restored credibility to the processes of obtaining Sworn Affidavits and integrity to the final document an Affiant eventually gets.