Court orders fresh service of criminal summons on Uwajeh

In accordance with its earlier order of February 5, 2018, the court said that the “prosecution shall revisit the order and serve Victor Uwajeh with this fresh criminal summons.” Justice John Tsoho who gave the order stating that the defendant on the charge before the court cannot be “so elusive that nobody can reach him to serve the summon.” The court was not convinced that Uwajeh is evading serve, even as it observed that the police has power to arrest a criminal without warrant or an order of the court. In the instant case, the defendant has not been arraigned before the court. ” Prosecution counsel had pleaded with the court to issue a warrant of arrest on Uwajeh who was not in court for the arraignment yesterday. The prosecution told the court that the summon served on the defendant was signed by his personal lawyer on his instruction. The prosecution said that Uwajeh was aware of his impending arraignment that was fixed for today (Friday) March 9, but he decided to send his brother to observe the sitting after evading service. The counsel said that in view of the fact the the defendant is evading personal service the court should issue bench warrant of arrest for any law enforcement agency to apprehend him and bring him to the court. The defendant was to take his plea on charges of forgery, impersonation and fraud preferred against him by the Federal Government. The federal government had filed the charges against Uwajeh in January this year after the Police discovered that the defendant was allegedly trying to obtain money through fraudulent means from a serving senator Senator Andy Uba. representing Anambra south senatorial District. On February 5 ,2018 when he was to be arraigned the defendant was conspicuously absent and he could not take the plea. The matter was subsequently shifted to the following day February 6, but the defendant was not also in court. It should be recalled that Uwajeh had dragged Senator Andy Uba, to court over alleged refusal to pay the sum of £1.9 million debt. Following police thorough investigations based on the petition Senator Uba wrote to the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris, the police investigations indicted him (Uwajeh). Also in the suit, the plaintiff alleged Senator Uba of being an impostor in relation to his academic credentials which the police investigation revealed that the information he provided was fraudulently obtained. According to Uwajeh, in the suit, Senator Uba engaged his services for an assignment in United Kingdom Border Agency and in the United States of America. The plaintiff also alleged that in order to make the work easier for him, Senator Uba gave him the data pages of both his American passport and Nigerian passport. But at the last sitting before Justice Sylvester Origi of the FCT High court Abuja, the plaintiff lawyer asked the court to adjourned the matter to enable all the parties settled out of court. The plaintiff request was rejected by Senator Uba counsel, Mahmoud Magaji,SAN who insisted that he was not disposed to the arrangement. The judge further adjourned the suit on the instance of the plaintiff (Uwajeh) for the outcome of the out of court settlement and report back to the court.]]>