Court Orders Arrest Of APGA Leader For Allegedly Forging Supreme Court Judgment
AN FCT High Court in Bwari has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of a factional leader of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Edozie Njoku, and one other for their alleged complicity in the forgery of a judgment of the Supreme Court.
Justice Mohammed Magudu issued the arrest order in a ruling on Monday, November 22 when Njoku and his co-defendant, Chukwuemeka Nwoga, failed to attend court for their planned arraignment on a 14-coubt charge filed by the Inspector General Police (IGP).
Justice Magudu ordered that Njoku and Nwogu be arrested by the Police and produced in court on November 28 for the purpose of their arraignment.
The ruling was on an oral application by the prosecuting lawyer, Rimamsomte Ezekiel, who urged the court to order the production of the defendants, who he claimed were served with the charge and informed about the day’s proceedings, but chose to stay away. Counsel to Njoku, Panam Ntui, challenged the mode of service of the charge on his client and prayed the court to reschedule the arraignment to enable his client, who travelled outside Abuja to return.
Counsel to the nominal complainant, Stephen Nwoga, faulted Ntui’s claim that his client travelled outside Abuja, stating that Njoku addressed a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, November 17.
In his ruling, Justice Magudu held that it was obvious from evidence before the court that the defendants were duly served, but chose not to attend court.
He consequently ordered their arrest and production on the next sitting day for the purpose of their arraignment.
Njoku and Nwoga are, in the charge marked CR/12/2022, accused among others, of altering a judgment delivered by the Supreme Court on October 14, last year in the appeal marked, SC/CV/686/2021 and inserting Njoku’s name as the second defendant when he was never a party in the case.
The defendants were alleged to have written Justices Mary Odili, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Mohammed Garba and Ibrahim Saulawa (who were members of the panel that delivered the judgment) to help insert Njoku’s name as the second respondent.
They were alleged to have procured the services of some officials of the court, who helped to insert Njoku’s name on the judgment, which Njoku allegedly presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the IGP, claiming to have been declared APGA’s national chairman by the Supreme Court.
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