By Alex Enumah
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has summoned a former governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, to appear before it on November 11 for his arraignment on a three-count criminal charges filed against him by the Inspector General of Police (IG).
The summons is contained in a hearing notice issued pursuant to Order 3 rule 7 of the FCT High Court and dated October 30, 2020.
According to the notice, Ohakim was commanded to appear in court number 32 for arraignment over alleged fraud.
Court 32 is under Justice S. U. Bature of the Maitama Division of the FCT High Court.
In the charge marked, FCT/HC/CR/993/2020, the police alleged that Ohakim, who was governor of Imo State from 2007 to 2011, gave false information against Lady Chinyere Amuchienwa.
The prosecuting agency further alleged that Ohakim lied that the lady threatened him with a gun, and equally made a false claim that he had a plot of land for sale in Lagos.
The three-count charge signed by Mr. Stanley Nwodo of the Force Legal Department dated September 23, 2020, of the office of the Inspector General of Police also accused Ohakim of using the name of the Minsiter of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians.
In addition, the prosecution alleged that Ohakim claimed in his statement to the police that he gave Lady Amuchienwa the sum of N100 million for his governorship in 2019, which he could not prove in the statement.
Earlier attempts by the police to arraign the former Imo State chief executive in court, over similar charge were unsuccessful.
The three-count charge read in part are: “That you Ikedi Ohakim, on or about May 23, 2019 at Asokoro, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did unlawfully gave false information against one Chinyere Amuchienwa, that she threatened you with gun knowing it to be false and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 140 of the Penal Code Law of the Northern Nigeria, 1968.
“That you Ikedi Ohakim, on or about May 23, 2019, at Asokoro, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did unlawfully gave false information against one Chinyere Amuchienwa, that you have a plot of land for sale at Lagos State, knowing it to be false and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 140 of the Penal Code Law of the Northern Nigeria, 1968.”
