Justice Samira Umar Bature of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting at Maitama, Abuja, has issued a warrant of arrest against a civil engineer, Nnaemeka Chukwueze, to compel his appearance in court in a case of alleged forgery of title documents, theft, conspiracy, and impersonation.
Chukwueze was brought before the court by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), having taken over the case from the police, on an amended 12-count charge marked FCT/HC/CR/302/2025, alongside Samuel Udo-Imeh; Ifeanyi Abaekwueme; Bob Chiedozie Ugu; a private firm, Earth Conscience Limited; and NBC Infrastructure West Africa Limited.
At today’s proceedings, which were meant for the arraignment of the defendants, the absence of the first and fourth defendants, Samuel Udo-Imeh and Nnaemeka Chukwueze respectively, stalled their arraignment.
Counsel for Udo-Imeh, Ebere Okonkwo, explained to the court that his client had an emergency which delayed him but was already on his way to court.
Counsel for Chukwueze, G. P. Ukpong, on his part, told the court that his client was undergoing a medical procedure on his nose and tendered a medical report which, however, indicated that the fourth defendant was suffering from hypertension.
Responding to this, the prosecuting counsel, Matthew Onoja, urged the court to hold that Chukwueze did not place sufficient material before the court to support his claim.
Onoja specifically drew the court’s attention to the fact that while the medical report indicated that Chukwueze was suffering from hypertension, his counsel told the court he was undergoing a procedure on his nose.
He then submitted that both the medical report and counsel’s submission were contradictory, adding that the court could not pick and choose which of them to believe.
The prosecutor further argued that where a party presents two contradictory reports before the court, it is not for the court to choose which of them is correct.
He urged the court to reject both the medical report and Ukpong’s submission.
While saying that the fourth defendant did not furnish the court with sufficient material to support his claim, Onoja went on to urge the court to issue a warrant of arrest against Chukwueze.
In her ruling, Justice Bature held that the court agreed with the prosecution’s submission.
She therefore ordered that a warrant of arrest be issued against the fourth defendant to compel his appearance in court.
Meanwhile, the third defendant, Bob Chiedozie Ugu, who is defending himself, asked for an accelerated hearing of the case, which was supported by both the prosecution and other defence counsel.
Justice Bature consequently granted the request for accelerated hearing and adjourned the case to May 11, 12, 15, and 19.
In the charge preferred against the defendants, the AGF alleged that the defendants forged title documents, including a Power of Attorney, with the fraudulent intention of converting a property belonging to Nexune Nigeria Limited.
The defendants were alleged to have conspired among themselves to commit an offence, namely forgery, between January 2015 and December 2022 at the FCT, Abuja, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 97(1) of the Penal Code Law.
They were further charged with committing forgery with intent to convert the property of Nexune Nigeria Ltd by fraudulently signing the signature of Mr Olusegun Sanni on a document titled: Memorandum of Understanding concerning Plot No: 54 DO6 situated at Karsana West, FCT, Abuja, with the intention of causing it to be believed that he signed the document when they knew the same was false.
They were also accused, among others, of committing an offence to convert the property of Nexune Nigeria Ltd by forging the signature of Olusegun Sanni on the document titled: Irrevocable Power of Attorney concerning the said property, to cause it to be believed that he signed the document when they knew the same was false.
The charge describes the third defendant, Bob Chiedozie Ugu, an Abia-based legal practitioner who also doubles as Managing Director of Earth Conscience Limited, as a former Commissioner for Works in Abia State, while Samuel Udo-Imeh, who works in the information technology and services sector, is also an Abuja-based businessman.
