By GODWIN TSA, Abuja

Former Imo State governor, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim has asked the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to withdraw the multiple criminal charges filed against him by the police.

In a letter addressed to the Inspector General of Police dated January 8, 2021, Ohakim called for a comprehensive investigation of all the issues that gave rise to the multiple charges against him.

The letter titled ” Re: Unlawful and Malicious Prosecution, Harassment, Intimidation, Defamation and False Information against Dr. Ikedi Ohakim at the behest of Ms Chinyere Amuchienwa -Igwegbe” specifically drew the attention of the IGP to the two charges filed against him before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the Abuja division of the Federal High Court.

The charges marked FCT/HC/CR/993/2020 and FHC/ABJ/CS/287/2020 bordered on alleged false information and alleged publishing nude pictures of the nominal complainant, Ms Chinyere Amuchienwa-Igwegbe.

Ohakim through his counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, referred the IGP to his petition of January 20, 2020 wherein, he complained about assault on his person by Ms. Chinyere Amuchienwa-Igwegbe (hereafter: “Ms Igwegbe or Amuchienwa”) at a hotel in Abuja and other unlawful acts by her towards our client.

The former Governor who is demanding the prosecution of Chinyere Amuchienwa stated that “the contents of the said Petition were clear, precise and unambiguous and our client had then, at the request of the Police, subsequently submitted credible evidence to support said Petition.

The letter states that, “the complaint of our client was still under investigation by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Federal Investigation Bureau (FIB), in connection with which our client and Ms. Amuchienwa were interviewed several times at the office of DIG – FIB when on 7th September, 2020, the Special Tactical Squad of the same FIB extended a new invitation to our client over a fresh Petition brought by Ms Igwegbe on the same matter.

And this was just days after our client was invited by the National Agency for Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) over the similar Petition by Ms Amuchienwa against our Client, and which Petition she concealed from the Police.

“In the interim, compelled by our concerns that this whole matter was now bordering on persecution, we commenced judicial proceedings to protect our client’s constitutional rights, pursuant to which the Court – on 10th September, 2020 – issued a restraining Order, stating “That all parties in this Suit are hereby Ordered to maintain the status quo and should not do anything in connection with the subject matter and should stay all action whatsoever pending the determination of the substantive Motion in this Suit”.

“This is addition to a similar and contemporaneous Order against NAPTIP and a re-affirmation of the two Orders on 25th September, 2020.

“All these Orders and other processes were duly served on the concerned Police officers, including particularly the former CP Legal (Mr Osayemo). Yet, beginning from 21st September to the present, the Police – ostensibly on the improper promptings of Ms Amuchienwa – has filed two separate Charges against our client in two separate Courts, containing myriad allegations that are so wild that it seems a stretch to relate them to anything our client might have done. In addition to these anomalies, we have been informed that a third round of Charges is underway.

It is noteworthy that the first round of Charges was grounded on the assault incident at the Abuja Hotel, in which our client was the complainant. How the whole story later changed to the point that our client has been charged for false information does not comport with reason and what Police initially discovered on the scene. In addition, how was the conclusion reached, in the same vein, that our client was defrauding Nigerians (including the Ms Igwegbe), using the name of Babatunde Fashola, the Honorable Minister for Works? It is clear from the land documents (which the Police has) that the land in question does not belong to our client, so how come the Police believed Ms Igwegbe that she paid paid Five Hundred Million Naira to our client for a land that is not in the name of our client? And how did Ms Igwegbe effect said payments – by check, cash or transfer? And how could she make such huge payments without our client executing any instrument of transfer of title, such as a Deed of Assignment or even a simple receipt?

These are questions the former CP Legal (Osayemo) should have resolved before charging our client for defrauding Ms Igwegbe of Five Hundred Million Naira, which Charges they libelously published in both mainstream and social media.

The second set of Charges relates to Ms Igwegbe’s claims that our client made (photoshopped or filmed – according to her, she was not sure) and published her nude video in viral social media. Ms Igwegbe, either by herself or through Counsel, has variously made said video available to the police and other agencies she petitioned on the same allegations (particularly NAPTIP), all in a desperate attempt to frame our client. At the same time, she proceeded to make an audio recording of her voice, accusing our client of having made the nude video at issue.

Sir, we make bold to say that it does not comport with prosecutorial best practices for our client to be charged for either making, photoshopping or publishing such nude video without forensic evidence directly implicating our client. For this reason, we hereby call for forensic investigation of who actually made the video, whether it is real or photoshopped and from whose phone or other device it was first published or sent out. Attached is a DVD copy of the said video (even though the police had previously seen it from other sources) for ease of your investigation.

Ohakim said he has retained the services of a certified expert, Mr Rowland Azuike, to transcribe the contents of said audio and video.

Before the High Court of Imo state, the former governor deposed to as follows: “Sir, in view of the foregoing, it is our considered position that these multiple rounds of Charges – totally lacking in any scintilla of evidence – against our client and the way and manner of his prosecution in various courts at the behest of the same nominal Complainant (Ms Igwegbe) is reprehensible, unethical, unprofessional and condemnable, and ought not be allowed to stand. We therefore respectfully make the following Prayers:

In the circumstance, we urge and pray you to use your good offices to disavow these reprehensible conducts by discontinuing these prosecutions and bringing all the parties back to the status quo ante. In other words, we request your firm directives that these criminal charges be withdrawn forthwith and the complaints of our client properly and thoroughly investigated. If at the conclusion of your investigation, you found our client’s Petition to lack sufficient merit to ground prosecution of Ms Igwegbe, then you have the discretion to discountenance it instead of turning around to prosecute our client for “false information” as your officers are now doing. We contend that such is not a normal prosecutorial practice by the police, otherwise there will be millions of Nigerians being prosecuted for false information to the police merely because they dared to initiate a Petition. Most importantly, it’s gross injustice on the part of the former CP Legal (Osayemo) to file Charges against our Client in flagrant disobedience of a Court Order against such.

That Ms Igwegbe (the nominal Complainant) be required to produce self-authenticating evidence of having paid our client Five Hundred Million Naira for a land that she clearly saw from the documents that does not belong to our client. For avoidance of doubt, our client had a franchise to sell said land and he gave Ms Igwegbe the title documents on trust when she claimed she could get a buyer in return for partaking in the agency commission. It is a normal thing done customarily in Nigeria when it comes to selling any landed property.

That Ms Igwegbe must produce credible evidence of how our client used said land (that is not in his name) to defraud her and other Nigerians and using the name of Babatunde Fashola, the Honorable Minister for Works. Mere allegations are utterly insufficient to ground the ongoing prosecution against me.

That Ms Igwegbe must produce evidence of all the receipts and the name of the person who took delivery of the items she claimed our client purchased from her in the amount of One Hundred and Ten Million Naira; and why she is variously stating the amount in Euros and Naira.

That the nude video upon which our client is now being charged be subjected to a thorough forensic investigation to determine, between our client and Igwegbe, who made the video; whether the video is real or photoshopped, who first sent the video out from the device with which it was made and the person(s) to whom the video was sent and when?

That Ms Igwegbe be required to produce credible scientific or forensic evidence that our client is in the unholy business of making indecent videos of women in cahoots with others, as alleged and published by Ms Igwegbe in the said audio hereby attached and on her various statements to the police and NAPTIP.

That given that both Ms Igwegbe’s initial Petition was about monies she claims our client owes her (for land purchased and chattels bought from her shop), these prosecutions should be closed forthwith because the Nigerian Police is neither a debt collection agency, nor should Ms Igwegbe be allowed to twist what she initially presented as a mere civil monetary dispute, only to later turn to making unsubstantiated criminal allegations in a clumsy design to embroil the Police in what is fundamentally a civil matter.

That Ms Igwegbe be required to produce evidence from the DSS (Directorate of State Security) of the proof that it was our client that made (filmed or photoshopped) and distributed the said indecent video, as she alleged was given to her by DSS.

That Ms Igwegbe be charged for all the criminal offenses disclosed in her misconducts since the inception of this whole saga and from the contents of this Petition. (Daily Sun)

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