Lawyer, 4 Others Docked Over Alleged N29m Land Speculation Scam

An Abuja-based legal practitioner, Everetus Chinedum Ugwuomo, and four others were re-arraigned before the Federal High Court on an 11-count charge bordering on land speculation scam involving the sum of N29m.

Others arraigned alongside Ugwuomo before the Abuja division of the court on the same offence were Umar Sanda Adamu, Usman Audu, Adole Christopher Oche (of Bureau of Public Procurement), and Damian Audu.

Two other co-defendants, Joseph Omale and Kingsley Awodi, are currently at large according to the prosecution counsel.

Meanwhile, all the defendants entered a plea of not guilty to the offence, after the charge sheet was read to them by the registrar of the court at the weekend.

Regardless, the prosecution counsel, Mr Simon Lough, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), told Justice Taiwo Taiwo that the defendants had sometime in September 2017, defrauded Mrs Grace Awajash Dauda of the sum of N29 million on the pretence of selling a house at Gwarimpa Estate Abuja to her.

In the 11-count amended charge dated April 29, 2019, the prosecution said the action of the defendants are contrary and punishable to the provisions of sections 1(2) (c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M17, Laws of the Federation (LFN); section 366 of the Penal Code and section 1(a) of the Dishonoured Cheque Act CAP D11, LFN 2004, amongst other provisions of the law.

Some of the changes read in part:

“That you Barr. Everestus Chinedum Ugwuomo ‘M’ 39 years, of House 21, 62 Road, Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja, and practising under the name Evaruth Solicitors, Umar Sanda Adamu ‘M’ 41 years, Usman Audu; Adole Christopher Oche, of Bureau of Public Procurement, Abuja, Damian Audu; Joseph Omale and Kingsley Awodi (now at large) on or about September 2017 in Abuja division within the Abuja judicial division, while acting in concert and with intent to defraud Mrs Grace Awajash Dauda, forged three FHA receipts, FHA letter of offer, FHA letter of allocation, in respect of House 11, 662 Road, Gwarimpa Estate, with No. FHA/OCE/GWAII/OWU C, purporting same to have been signed by Grema Mohammed Umar and used same to deceitfully collect the sum of N29, 000.000.00 from her on the pretence that you have authority to sell House 11, 662 Road Gwarimpa Estate with No. FHA/OCE/GWAII/OWUC to her and having collected the money, you shared it among yourselves and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M17, LFN, 2004.

“That you Barr. Everestus Chinedum Ugwuomo ‘M’ 39 years, of House 21, 62 Road, Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja, and practising under the name Evaruth Solicitors, Umar Sanda Adamu ‘M’ 41 years, Usman Audu; Adole Christopher Oche, of Bureau of Public Procurement, Abuja, Damian Audu; Joseph Omale and Kingsley Awodi (now at large) on or about September 2017 in Abuja division within the Abuja judicial division, while acting in concert and with intent to defraud Mrs Grace Awajash Dauda, forged letter of authority to sell, consent to assign House 11,662 Road Gwarimpa Estate with No. FHA/OCE/GWAII/OWUC, irrevocable Power of Attorney, letter of Checking in of Owner Occupiers, Deed of Assignment purporting same to have been signed by Grema Mohammed Umar and three FHA receipts, FHA letter of offer, FHA letter of allocation in respect of the said house and presented same to her as genuine documents and consequent upon which you deceitfully collected the sum of N29, 000.000.00 from her on the pretence that you have authority to sell the house to her, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 366 of the Penal Code.”

In count 10, the lawyer was charged alone for allegedly issuing Mrs Grace Awajash Dauda, a United Bank of Africa (UBA) cheque No. 77703052 for the sum of N29 million he deceitfully collected from her on the pretence that he would sell the said house, but which was returned dishonoured by the bank when she presented it on December 6, 2017, for lack of sufficient funds in his account, when he knew or had reason to believe that there were no sufficient funds in his account when he issued the cheque.

The offence, according to the prosecution, was committed contrary to section 1(a) of the Dishonoured Cheque Act CAP D11, LFN 2004.

After their plea of not guilty, the prosecution asked for a date for trial which has been fixed for April 27 and 28.