By Suleiman Anyalewechi
An Abia State High Court sitting in Aba, on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, adjourned proceedings to March 18, 2025, in the case of criminal conspiracy and forgery filed against a leading textile material dealer and Managing Director, “Work and Chop Multi-Venture Nigeria LTD, Flamingo Gold, and Odogwu Textiles and Caps West Africa Ltd, Chibueze Ezeike.
Ezike was arraigned on Monday, alongside Chinedu Chukwu, his employee, on a two count charge bordering on forgery and threat to life.
However, Ezike one of the three leading dealers on traditional Igbo fabrics, ” Isiagu materials” in Aba, pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.
In count one, Ezike and Chinedu Chukwu ,his apprentice/employee, were said to have conspired to commit felony to wit: forgery, contrary to section 467 of the criminal Code .
Specifically, the prosecution alleged that the accused, between February 26, and 29, 2024, at Ariaria International Market Aba, fraudulently made, signed, and executed a Receipt with name P S Ezeagu & Sons Resources by inserting ” Odogwu Odogwu design” in the said receipt with receipt number 1217 with the intention of causing it to be believed that such document was made, signed, sealed, or executed by the authority of one Chinedu Ezeagu (Nominal Complaint).
According to the fact of the case obtained by this magazine, the Complainant, who is also the Managing Director of P S Ezeagu & Sons, one of the top three Igbo traditional fabrics dealers in the commercial hub of Abia State, had in a petition to the Police in February 2024, alleged forgery of his Company’s official receipts and threat to his life by Ezike.
According to Ezeagu, sometime in February 2024, he was contacted by one Matthew Eze, who is also engaged in the same business of textile materials, to act as his witness in a case involving him and Ezike, the accused, in Abuja.
However, he informed that his decision to act as Eze’s witness never went down well with the accused who, thereafter, engaged in series of plots to undermine and rope him into trouble.
To achieve his intentions, Ezeagu alleged that Ezike sent someone to his business premises at the Ariaria International Market Aba to purchase four yards of his company’s brand of Igbo traditional fabrics “Full Lion Cream Material.”
But surprisingly, Ezeike’s emissary, according to him, requested his worker to write on the receipt “Odogwu Odogwu”, the brand name of Ezike’s Igbo traditional materiel.
He stated that his worker rejected the request on the grounds that their company only deal on “Full Lion Cream brand” and not “Odogwu Odogwu” design.
According to Ezeagu, having failed in the first attempt to rope in his company, the accused, once again, sent one of his workers, one Chnedu Chukwu, on the same sinister mission.
However, like the first attempt, his workers refused entreaties from Chukwu for the brand name “Odogwu Odogwu” to be written on the receipt for him. Chukwu, on this second mission, bought two yards of the “Full Lion Cream” material.
But determined to achieve his evil intentions against him, Ezeagu,
alleged that Ezike and his worker, Chukwu, thereafter conspired and ingenuously inserted on the receipt legitimately issued to him for the purchase made, “Odogwu Odogwu design”
“At the end of the day, the suspect carefully inserted “Odogwu Odogwu” in front of the” Full Lion Cream” on the said receipt issued, and used same to file a process in Court castigating and calling the petitioner a part of the syndicate which is unlawfully imitating his goods ( brand)”, part of the police investigative reports ,revealed.
However, in his statement to the Police investigation team, the accused ( Ezike) admitted sending Chinedu Chukwu to buy two yards of materials in the shop of the petitioner with receipt number 1217, dated February 29,2024 issued.
According to him, the intention was to confirm earlier reports, suggesting that Ezeagu and his company has been faking his goods.
He insisted that the receipt issued to his worker, Chinedu Chukwu, by the complainant’s staff , was written with the name “Full Lion Cream Odogwu Odogwu” design, a development that confirmed that they were imitating his brand.
According to the Police report, this claim by the suspect was said to have prompted the investigation team to seek a forensic analysis of the hand writings contained in the said receipt.
“On the 25th June, 2024, a letter was written to the Commissioner of Police Forensic and Crime data, Alagbon, Lagos, to analyze if it is the same person that wrote “Full Lion Cream” and “Odogwu Odogwu” design on the receipt number 1217, dated 29th February, 2024.
“On the 20th August, 2024, a report from Forensic Laboratory, FCID Alagbon, Lagos, dated 4th July 2024, was received, and which stated in its opinion that the writer of the “Full Lion Cream” did not write the “Odogwu Odogwu” design as claimed by the suspect”, the police investigative report reads in part.
Based on the findings, the investigation team in its report signed by Etim G Effiong ,a Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police CP ( PSFU) FCID, concluded that a prima facie case of forgery has been established against the suspect, Ezike.
“In view of the above, observation and by virtue of the available report of Forensic and Crime Data Analysis conducted on the handwriting written on the invoice/sales receipt No 1217, dated 29th February, 2024, a prima facie offence of criminal conspiracy, forgery, and threat to life has been established against the suspect ( Chinedu Ezike)and Chinedu Chukwu subject to prosecution”, the police report noted.
Presiding Judge, Justice Chibuzo Ahuchaogu, while earlier ruling on a bail application filed by the lead defence Counsel, E. C. Uzoatu, granted the accused bail to the tune of N10 million, with a surety who must be an owner of property with valid documents in Aba
The prosecution Counsel, C.G. Korie, an Assistant Director in the Abia State Ministry of Justice, had opposed the bail application on the grounds that the accused, ever since his bail by the Police, has been intimidating and threatening the nominal complainant, as well as engaging in many subtle moves to debar witnesses from testifying in the matter.
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