Section 52: Forgery of document and false declarations

(1) Every person who:
(a)
forges or fraudulently alters or assists in forging or fraudulently altering; or
(b)
procures to be forged or fraudulently altered, any register, builder's certificate surveyors tonnage certificate, certificate of registry, declaration, bill of sale, instrument of mortgage or certificate of sale or mortgage under this part of this Act, or any document signifying the Minister's consent to any transaction under this part, or any entry or endorsement required by this part to be made in or on any of those documents, commits an offence.
(2)
A person who, in the case of any declaration made in the presence of, or produced to, a Registrar or an appropriate officer under this part of this Act, or in any document or other evidence produced to a Registrar or an appropriate officer:
(a)
wilfully makes or assists in making or procures to be made, any false statement concerning the title to or ownership of or the interest existing in any ship or any share in the ship; or
(b)
utters, produces or makes use of any declaration or document containing any false statement, knowing the same to be false, commits an offence.
(3)
A person who wilfully makes a false declaration touching the qualification of himself or of any other person or of any corporation to own a registered Nigerian ship or any share in the ship, commits an offence and the ship or share shall be liable to forfeiture under this Act to the extent of the interest of the declarant in the ship unless it is proved that the declaration was made without authority of that other person or corporation on behalf of whom the declaration is made.
(4)
Any person who commits an offence under this section is on conviction liable to a fine not exceeding two hundred thousand Naira or to imprisonment for a term not less than two years or to both.