The Federal High Court sitting in Enugu has ordered the Enugu State Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Victor Nnam to appear before it on February 24, next year over an alleged case of affidavit falsification.
The trial Judge, Justice R.O. Dugbo-Oghoghorie, who gave the order on Tuesday, was furious on absence of the state commissioner in the court when the case on the alleged affidavit falsification for approval of community layouts came up for hearing.
Nnam was absent in the court but his counsel, PMB Onyia, tendered an excuse on a piece of paper, citing health challenges and asked to be given one week to appear.
It was observed that Nnam’s letter infuriated the Justice Dugbo-Oghoghorie who described the piece of paper as worthless and queried his type of ailment.
Justice Dugbo-Oghoghorie frowned that the small piece of paper did not even emanate from a government recognized hospital.
The judge, therefore, asked for service of all necessary papers to all parties and adjourned to February 24, 2021 for Nnam to appear and defend the allegations levelled against him.
The commissioner had earlier in his statement before the police and contained in the prosecution documents, objected to the trial, stating that the same matter was already in two separate high courts and said the new process amounted to subjudice.
In the matter between the federal government and Nnam, the prosecution said that Nnam was arraigned on an 8-count charge of “forging and uttering Affidavits of Facts with the intent that the documents be presented to the appropriate Ministry/Department of Enugu State government, for approval of Aruga layout, Obinagu community in Enugu State.
“Nnam was alleged to have in 2017 made and uttered the false affidavit of facts to four persons for possession of two layouts that allegedly belonged to Prime Estates International West Africa Limited, PEIWA.
Managing Director of PEIWA, Kingsley Eze told reporters shortly after the court session that his company had engaged the services of Nnam’s firm before he became a commissioner, for principal/ survey consultancy.
According to Eze, it was discovered in 2019 that Nnam used confidential information from PEIWA and connived with land grabbers and forged documents which was used to register two layouts in Enugu South Local Government Area, measuring 106.182 hectares.
