During the hearing on Friday, the prosecuting officer, Mr. Ifeanyi Eze, informed the court that Okaa and Salako deceitfully persuaded Mbachu to hand over the land’s title document in their favour.
By Peter Amgbele
Peter Okaa, a native doctor residing in Anambra State and aged 65, has been brought before the Chief Magistrate Court in Nnobi, Idemili South local government area. He faces five charges of deceiving Miss Victoria Mbachu, an orphan, into surrendering her family land valued at N10 million.
The alleged offense took place in July 2022, in collaboration with Olufemi Salako, who is currently evading authorities. The duo purportedly convinced Mbachu to transfer the ownership of her land to them by falsely promising to construct a house for her.
During the hearing on Friday, the prosecuting officer, Mr. Ifeanyi Eze, informed the court that Okaa and Salako deceitfully persuaded Mbachu to hand over the land’s title document in their favour. The prosecutor further revealed that the accused individuals reneged on their commitment to construct a house worth N10 million for Mbachu, instead of providing her with monetary compensation.
The charge read in part: “That you, Okaa, concealed the title document with intent to fraudulently convert the property to your own through the title document, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 75 of the Criminal Code law, Cap 36, Vol 11, Revised Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria, 1991, as amended; and
“That you willfully and unlawfully damaged a building which is estimated to value N10 million which is the property of one Bonaventure Ezekwenna and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 7 of the Prohibition of Fraudulent Practices on Land and Property and other matters law of Anambra State of Nigeria, 2012.
According to the charge, Okaa is accused of providing false information to the Inspector General of Police and his investigation officers at the Nigeria Police Force headquarters in Abuja. The alleged incident occurred in April 2022.
Okaa allegedly claimed that he had legitimately acquired the land described in survey plan No.GEO-B/AN425/2021 from Miss Nzube Victoria Mbachu. However, it is alleged that he knew this information to be false. The purpose of providing this false information was to manipulate the Inspector General of Police into using his lawful authority to harass and cause trouble for Miss Mbachu and Bonaventure Ezekwenna.
Upon the reading of the charges, Okaa entered a plea of not guilty to each of them.
Chief Magistrate Ken Nwoye, who presided over the case, decided to grant bail to the accused individual. The bail amount was set at N200,000, and a surety was required, who must reside within the court’s jurisdiction.
Furthermore, Chief Magistrate Nwoye scheduled a definite hearing for the matter on July 14, 2023. He emphasized the importance of all involved parties being present and warned against any unnecessary delays, expressing his unwillingness to tolerate such behavior.
