Court Quashes IGP’s Forgery, Conspiracy Charges Against 89-Year-Old Anambra Businessman
Justice James Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has quashed the conspiracy and forgery charges filed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) against an 89‑year‑old Anambra businessman, Christian Eze.
Eze, who was assisted into the courtroom with a walking stick, was discharged alongside a 75‑year‑old woman, Josephine Obineme. Both had been standing trial on a five‑count criminal charge instituted by the police.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Omotosho held that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case. He described the evidence presented by the police as vague, watery, and riddled with doubts, insufficient to sustain any conviction.
The court further observed that there was no credible link between the defendants and the alleged offences. According to the Judge, the police investigation was “shady” and lacked the evidential foundation required in criminal proceedings.
The IGP had charged the duo with conspiracy, forgery, unlawful conversion of property, and fraudulent claims of ownership—offences said to contravene sections 1, 2, and 6 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, which prescribes up to 21 years’ imprisonment upon conviction.
Specifically, the defendants were accused of falsifying company registration documents at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in 2005 to claim ownership of two companies—Jefrics Nigeria Limited and Zecon Nigeria Limited—belonging to their late elder brother. They were also alleged to have altered shareholding structures and forged letters of consent to back up appointments as Managing Director and Executive Director.
The prosecution further claimed that Eze sold a petroleum station in Lafia, Nasarawa State, belonging to one of the companies, for ₦25 million and converted the proceeds to personal use. About 20 exhibits were tendered and admitted during trial.
In their defence, however, Eze maintained that he had never visited the CAC and had no knowledge of altering company documents. He stated that two lawyers, Otti and Kamaldeen Raji, were appointed to manage the companies on behalf of his late brother and should be held accountable. Obineme, on her part, said she was merely a former staff of the companies and had no involvement in the alleged offences.
Justice Omotosho, in his findings, accepted the testimony of the defendants as credible, consistent, and unshaken under cross‑examination. He faulted the police for failing to investigate the two lawyers whose names featured prominently in the alleged forgery, describing the omission as fatal to the prosecution’s case. Consequently, the court discharged and acquitted both defendants of all five counts.
