Aburime’s Family Writes AIG Over Alleged Forgery, Perjury And Illegal Sale Of Land By Ex-Constable Augustine Oboh

*Urges Police To Limit Its Investigation On The Alleged crimes

The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 5, Benin City, Edo State, has been petitioned over the nefarious activities of an Augustine Oboh, who they alleged was a Police Constable who was dismissed from service and jailed by a regular court.

Augustine Oboh, who is from Idunwele Ewu, Esan Central Local Government Area Of Edo State has been accused of forgery, perjury and other crimes by the family of Benson Oamen Aburime.

This was disclosed in the letters from the law firm of Major Aburime & Associated, dated 1st and 28th February, 2022 and signed by the Managing Partner, Major O B Aburime (rtd), titled: Report of Case of Forgery, Making False Documents For Use In Judicial Proceedings, Committing Acts of Perjury, Selling Other People’s Land, Continuing Nuisance And Conduct Likely To Cause A Breach of The Peace. Re: Complaint Against Ex-Constable Augustine Oboh, Force No 66873, of Idunwele Ewu, Esan Central Local Government Area Of Edo State Of Nigeria.”

The letter stated: “Be properly guided that the case we [have] reported for investigation exclusively relates to the allegations that the suspect, Augustine Oboh:

a. forged a document titled “Letter of Attestation” and dated 28th August 2015, purporting same to be signed by the several persons whose names appeared on the document;
b. presented and filed a doctored document purporting to be his discharge certificate from the Nigeria Police Force; and,
c. made a statement on oath in suit number HCI/20/2021/T (formerly B/719/2021), alleging he was mandated by Mr Aigbokhabholo Abuya William, the Odionwele of Idunwele Ewu of Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo State, to prosecute the case now at Irrua High Court of Edo State, on his behalf; and, it is this case of alleged forgery and perjury we have submitted for investigation, for you to establish whether or not the offence, as alleged, is proven.

“Augustine Oboh forged document purported to be signed by four elders, including the present Odionwele (Mr Aigbokhabholo Abuya William), and also falsely alleging under Oath in his written depositions filed in court, that the said Odionwele sent and mandated him to prosecute the case on behalf of the community, a fact vehemently denied by the Odionwele. Worse still, two of the elders purported to have signed the document are stark illiterates who could only thumb-print in their life-time. The undersigned, also an elder in his larger family, has known all the elders named in the forged document for over sixty five (65 years) by reason of their all being members of the same clan at Idunwele Ewu, and is also familiar with their signatures.

The petitioner further alleged that “Augustine Oboh once sold his own house where his mother was buried, and his father’s family house where his father was buried, save that his siblings drove away the buyer of their father’s family house. Not contented with that, he sold other people’s land and those cases are still pending before the Area Command at Irrua, and the Council of Elders at Idunwele Ewu, where he has been ordered to make refunds and/or restitution. One of the victims he sold his land is Evangelist Promise Lucky Aburime”.

“In forging these documents and telling lies under oath, Augustine Oboh’s ultimate desire is to access the Benson Aburime’s family land to sell same. Sale of communal land by some irresponsible people purporting to use same to pay the professional fees of some dubious lawyers in cases involving the community has been a long-standing past-time at Idunwele, a thing the undersigned has serially reported in writing to the Onojie of Ewu.”

The letter further stated below:
To assist the investigation, we have provided the list of material witnesses, and the logistics of One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100, 000. 00), as demanded, which we know can take your team to Idunwele Ewu several times over, to record their statements as prior agreed, and it was premised on this understanding [before] we submitted to releasing a dime.

“Kindly be informed that when the claimant’s counsel sought to use the court to stop the police investigations of the suspect by alleging harassment in open court, the honorable court emphatically told both parties that the police has jurisdiction and/or competence to investigate the allegation of crime even though there is a pending and subsisting civil suit before it. Your report is therefore to be limited to the alleged crimes, where, thereinafter, you prosecute the culpable party, while the court is to try, and determine, the respective rights of the parties before it. This was what we sought to draw your attention to, before you sadly flared up and went into a frenzy of utterances that were uncalled for.

Talking about your shouting down the petitioner each time he attempted to buttress a point, we will gladly and freely inform that we are knowledgeable enough to know that:
1. Every public officer and/or institution is properly and adequately trained to execute its functions and office to serve the ends of justice, save those that have either subordinated their integrity and/or professionalism to prejudices and personal interests.

2. Where in purportedly carrying out an official function we are insulted and disrespected as happened in your office, and for reasons we both know, we do not condescend in a shouting match. We will not even write a petition against anyone or ask for a transfer. We will write to the officer involved, demanding s/he does a dress-rehearsal. Where arrogance and pride interplay to resort and result to a bluff, then we will not be responsible for its escalation. Attach letter will help you read our lips on our blueprint for dealing with situations such as this.

3. While we do not return the ungodly compliments of insults and disrespect, that does not in any way suggest we either entertain or condone it. If anything, there is NO master-servant relationship between me, Major (Barr) O B Aburime (rtd), Esq, and any officer and I will not stand it, because I am me.

4. Where conflict of interest will not allow an officer carry out a dispassionate investigation as demanded by rules of professional ethics, then we will not only refuse to be privy to such an investigation, but furnish an account number, being 0009795041 – GTB, for the reversal of our payments. You will notice we have been careful not to delve into the presence of the young lady at your office, and/or your focal interest on who owns the land, and to whom payment for the MTN Mast is made. We shall visit those aspects over time.

5. We are not unaware of threats and intimidation against potential witnesses by the suspect, but we know as of fact that even where the witnesses are prevented from recording their statement, or where the finding is perverse, we will still play the trump card of subpoenaing the same witness(es) to court to testify, and be cross-examined, and whereby they fail to turn up, the court will exercise its coercive powers to issue the appropriate warrant to secure and/or compel their attendance.

Concluding, while we do not in any way suggest that the outcome of your investigation must favor us, we also know that, first, a party who purportedly has a good case will not resort to forgery and perjury. While there are other areas of forgery we have detected, we leave those others for the trial and address stages.

Second, our decision to refuse to react to the avalanche of falsehood churned out in your office was basically because it was extraneous to the report of forgery and perjury you were invited to investigate.