A Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital, has ordered the state police command to release a former chairman of Ikwo local government area, Chief Moses Onyema Nwekoyo and Nwabueze Alegu, who have been in detention for weeks over alleged conspiracy/forgery and advance fee fraud.
The command had on October 28, 2023, paraded Nwabueze Alegu and Moses Onyema Nwekoyo for allegedly defrauding one Emmanuel Ede Nnaji from Enugu state of the sum of N54 million.
The Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, had during the parade, told journalists that Nwabueze, his wife Chinyere, and Nwekoyo committed conspiracy/forgery and advance fee fraud by selling people’s land.
“This is a case of conspiracy/forgery of title document and advance fee fraud, reported through a written petition against the suspect, one Alegu Chinyere, Alegu Nwabueze, and Moses Onyema.
“Forged title documents were recovered from them, they defrauded Mr. Emmanuel Nnaji Ede of Enugu state the sum of fifty-four million nairas (N54, 000,000) and twenty-one million three hundred and ninety thousand naira9N21,390,000) was recovered from Alegu Nwabueze’s bank account,” she stated.
But Alegu and Nwekoyo denied any involvement in land fraud saying that they genuinely transacted land business with relevant documents and described allegations against them as untrue.
Since 28 October, the duo have been in police custody prompting their Lawyer, Bar. Godffery Chika Ogbuinya to approach a federal high court sitting in Abakaliki the state capital for enforcement of their fundamental human rights in a suit no FHC/AI/CS/197/2023.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mrs. Augustina Ogbodo, SP Fabian Iloabanafor, Inspector Cghukwudi Okpara the IPO on the matter, Emmanuel Ede Nnaji, Obinna Agu, and Chief Celestine Okah are the defendants in the suit.
The court presided by Justice H. A Nganjiwa in an ex parte order, ordered the police command to unconditionally release Chief Moses Onyema Nwekoyo and Nwabueze Alegu forthwith from the detention facility pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Addressing journalists in Abakaliki, counsel to Chief Moses Onyema Nwekoyo and Nwabueze Alegu, accused the police command of disobeying the court order by not releasing the suspects or charging them to court.
