IGP Under Pressure To Prosecute Electoral Offenders In Enugu

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News From The State Tuesday, August 18th, 2015

By Ignatius Okpara, Enugu – The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase, has come under serious pressure to prosecute two stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State, Mr. Paul Anikwe and Mrs. Ify Ozoani for alleged forgery of PDP appointment letters and depose to false affidavit, claiming they were appointed the returning and electoral officers respectively for the party Primary election conducted in Udi/Ezeagu Federal constituency on December 6, 2014.

Anikwe, an ex- member of the Enugu State House of Assembly and Mrs. Ozoani, a one- time Council’s Chairperson in the state, had tendered separate “forged” documents and deposed “false” oaths before a Federal High Court in Abuja, hearing a case between former House of Reps member, Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi and a serving member, Hon. Dennis Amadi, claiming they were appointed returning officers for the PDP primary.

The duo, allegedly forged signature of the then PDP acting chairman, Elder David Ajah, in a bid to authentic their claim.

Shocked by the claim, Hon. Denis Amadi, representing Udi/Ezeagu Federal constituency, had on July 6th, 2015 petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), alleging impersonation and perjury by Anikwe and Ozoani.

The Federal lawmaker, prayed the police to investigate the matter and bring the two suspects and their collaborators to justice.

AFRICAN EXAMINER gathered that Amadi’s petition was assigned to the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Criminal Intelligence and Investigation (CIID) force headquarters, who moved men to Enugu and interrogated the suspects on July I5 and were granted bail, but to report to the Force headquarters on July 21 2015.

On the said day, the two Suspects appeared at the FCIID Abuja and continued to lay claim to the appointment letters.

Their insistence, it was learnt, made the Police to request that they go and come back on 28th of July, so that they could meet face to face with the Enugu State PDP Officials in persons of Elder David Ajah then Acting Chairman of the Party and Barr. Steve Oruruoh the Party’s Secretary.

On the appointed date, the two suspects however, failed to appear in Abuja with different excuses.

However, the then Acting state chairman of PDP in Enugu state, Elder David Ajah honoured the invitation along with the Party’s Secretary and told the Police that the document in dispute bearing his alleged signature on a photocopied document was fake and did not emanate from him nor from the Party.

He emphasized that all the appointment letters issued to genuine persons who worked for Party were counter-signed by the Party Secretary with the Party Seal.

Ajah, went further to tender the Comprehensive List of all Persons whom the Party appointed to represent it in the Party Primaries across the entire Enugu State.

The IPO in charge of the case, ASP. Emma Mordi, rather than pursuing for prosecution, recommended for a forensic examination of the signature contained only on a photocopied document without an original ink-character signature on the document, of which the Suspects have not produced the Original Copy of the alleged document till date.

Angered by the seeming IPO, Mordi’s pranks on the matter, the petitioner, Hon. Amadi, again wrote to the IGP on July 31, demanding for immediate prosecution of the suspects having established that the document did not emanate from Party, whose officials are still alive; having seen the document in dispute and disowned the letters accordingly.

Hon. Amadi, said he was embarrassed when the IPO brought the parties to the matter before the Commissioner of Police in charge of forensics, CP Williams, with the suspects Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi present especially when Forensic activities are handled privately without parties to a matter interfacing with Officers of Forensic department.

Amadi, also wondered why the need for forensic examination of a photocopied document which does not carry the weight and character of ink.

“It is also worrisome why Police allowed continued presence of Ozomgbachi, a non-party to the case and alleged beneficiary of the forgery while the two suspects have continued to evade police invitation intermittently” he told newsmen.

In his second letter to the IGP, Hon. Amadi, noted that all relevant witnesses have made statements to prove the alleged offences and wondered the reason for continued delay in charging the Suspects to court.

The Lawmaker maintained that the suspects’ failure to honour police instruction was a ploy to delay their prosecution and demanded for the immediate arraignment of all suspects connected with the alleged offences, in a court of competent jurisdiction.

He further noted that the continuous rounds of interviews by the police cannot serve any useful cause of justice and insisted on immediate prosecution of the suspects to restore dignity and confidence in the Nigeria Police Force.