Ikedi Ohakim. |
A report by ThisDay Newspapers says that a businesswoman,
Mrs. Chinyere Amuchinwa, has accused a former Imo State Governor, Chief Ikedi
Ohakim of defrauding her of N500 million.
In a petition obtained by THISDAY, which was addressed
to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu and the Department of
State Services (DSS), seeking their intervention, Amuchinwa said the former
governor not only defrauded her but obtained money from her under false pretence.
Amuchinwa also accused Ohakim of threatening her life,
with THISDAY gathering that based on the petition, the police arrested Ohakim,
later granted him administrative bail with the police intensifying efforts to
charge the former governor to court for alleged fraud.
A source at the Force Headquarters who pleaded
anonymity said the police had concluded their investigations and were ready to
charge the former governor to court, with their next move being to send the
report to the legal department for advice.”
In the petition dated July 8, 2020, Chinyere Amuchinwa
alleged that she met the former governor in her hometown Arondizuogu, Imo
State, at the funeral of Chief Raphael Obioha’s wife where the widower
introduced her as an industrious and successful businesswoman, stating that
they exchanged phone contacts that day, she alleged that Ohakim later called
her and requested to hold a meeting with her in her home in Lagos and she
obliged.
Amuchinwa equally alleged that the former governor
collected goods on credit worth N110, 000,000 from her which he has refused to
pay for till date.
Her petition, which was signed by her attorney,
Ifeanyichukwu Obasi-Nweze, read in parts: “At the meeting, Ikedi Ohakim told
our client that he had land for sale; he showed our client a large expanse of
land in Lagos-spanning from the Ikeja Airport to the filling station along
Ikeja Airport road.
“He purportedly made phone calls to the former
Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, whom he claimed was negotiating
to repurchase the land from him when he was governor of Imo State, but “After
showing his client the said land, Ikedi Ohakim started demanding money in bits
from our client and on some of the days, Ikedi Ohakim pretended to be talking
to somebody regarding funds he was expecting, only to revert to our client to
request for more monies with a promise that once he concluded the sale of the
land in question, he would reimburse our client.
“On one of the occasions, Ikedi Ohakim pretended to be
talking to somebody in Dubai about funds the person was to send to him; he then
told the person to be careful because the authorities were monitoring funds
from abroad.”
The petition stated that at the end of the
transaction, Amuchinwa allegedly released the total sum of N500 million in cash
and goods to Ohakim, adding that the transaction fell through after Ohakim
allegedly failed to provide the land in question.
“Our client upon enquiry discovered that, the only
truth in all that Ikedi ever told her was that he was the candidate of Accord
Party in the 2019 governorship election of Imo State on the day Chief Raphael
Obioha introduced him to our client; every other thing is false,” it stated.
The counsel said his client had already furnished the
police with all the documents and other evidence pertaining to the petition and
was ready to resubmit the petition to the police upon request.
One of the evidence, he said, included a voice note by
Ohakim where he promised that immediately he got to Abuja, he would sell one of
his properties and pay her money.
“But that was not to be. It then dawned on our client
that she has been defrauded by Ikedi Ohakim.
“In an evil twist, as it were, on January 18, 2020,
Ikedi Ohakim invited our client to Bon Hotel, Asokoro and even sent a cab from
the hotel to take our client. At the hotel, Ikedi Ohakim requested that our
client should meet him in room 205 of the said hotel.
“When our client got to the said room, Ikedi Ohakim
seized the handset of our client and ran out of the room, and actually
disappeared from the premises of the hotel.
“In no time, police personnel filled the hotel
premises, searched our client and took our client to Asokoro Police Station
where she was informed that there was an accusation against her by Ikedi Ohakim
that she attacked him with a gun when he went to visit her in the hotel.
“Our client volunteered her statement at the Asokoro
Police Station where she was detained; and the station, we are informed, has
concluded its investigation and has given a report that the allegation was
totally false in every material particular wit.
“Our client was not the person that lodged in room 205
of Bon Hotel Asokoro; it was Ikedi Ohakim that lodged in the said Room 205; our
client went to the said Bon Hotel on the invitation of Ikedi Ohakim and the cab
that took her to the hotel was in fact engaged by Ikedi Ohakim to take her; our
client did not have any gun or dangerous weapon on her,” the petition stated.
According to Amuchinwa, despite the police division’s
report exonerating her of the allegations, the police are yet to act on the
above discovery.
She added that the Assistant Inspector General of
Police (AIG), Federal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau (FIIB) Abuja is
fully aware of the discovery because the matter is being handled by the FIIB.
The petition stated that “in yet another twist, our
client was invited on phone by one Margaret Ochalla (who introduced herself as
Deputy Commissioner of Police – DCP FIIB) to answer to a petition by Ikedi
Ohakim alleging that:
“Our client received N100,000,000.00 only meant for
Ikedi Ohakim’s campaign and that our client refused to give the money to him;
whereas our client is not a politician; she is not even a registered voter; she
is not also, a card-carrying member of any political party.
“That our client took thugs to attack Ikedi Ohakim at
his Asokoro residence; that our client tried to kill Ikedi Ohakim with a gun at
Bon Hotel Asokoro on January 18, 2020.”
The counsel alleged that since his client gave her own
side of the story in her statement to the police and evidencing the content of
this petition against Ohakim, she has been severally threatened by “Ohakim and
his cohorts that they will kidnap and kill her if she does not withdraw from
the matter, hence our petition.
“In particular, one Ilumuanya called our client in May
2020 and threatened our client that he has our client’s nude pictures and that
he would release the nude pictures to the public if our client does not
withdraw from pursuing the case.”
The counsel called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the
IG and the DSS to use their good office to institute an investigation into the
allegations against Ohakim; and upon confirmation of the veracity of same,
“prosecute Ikedi Ohakim, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, and any other person culpable
accordingly.”
However, efforts to get Ohakim to react to the
allegations against him were abortive as calls and subsequent text messages to
his mobile phone got no response.
He later referred THISDAY to his lawyer, Mr. Aloy
Ejimakor.
Responding yesterday, Ejimakor said the former
governor had on July 22 applied for a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the petition
and was yet to receive any reply.
He wondered why the police would release the petition
when the investigation of the case had not been concluded.
“We discerned that this petition purports as the same
petition about which our client (Dr. Ikedi Ohakim) had written an application
through counsel on July 22, 2020, requesting a Certified True Copy (CTC). Till
date, the police are yet to reply to us.
“We are also puzzled as to why the Force Headquarters
will give you the said petition to publish while it is yet to supply us a CTC
thereof, and what purpose the publication will serve the police on an ongoing
investigation,” he said.
However, THISDAY gathered that it was on the basis of
the petition that Ohakim was arrested and after he wrote a statement, he was
granted administrative bail.
Efforts by THISDAY to get a response from the
spokesperson of the Force Headquarters, DCP Frank Mba last night proved
abortive as his mobile phone was switched off.
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