A calculated attempt to frame-up criminal charges against Chief Ralph Obioha has been debunked by the Nigeria Police. In a detailed investigative report by the Police FCID, Area 10 Abuja, the Police not only exonerated Chief Obioha of any involvement in the framed-up accusation, also instructed that his prosecution be discontinued forthwith.
Recall that a case of land and property grabbing is concurrently running in two courts in Lagos, in which Chief Obioha, the owner of a multi-million Naira asset is facing criminal charges leveled against him by his former employee, Mr. Yomi Tokosi.
Chief Obioha alleges that Tokosi in a calculated effort to strip him of his hard earned property, came up with criminal charges against him, with the same case now ongoing in Yaba Magistrate Court 1 and Justice Norman Clay High Court Ikeja concurrently.
The property in question located at the highbrow area of 24A Ikoyi Crescent, Ikoyi Lagos is sitting on 1,021 square meters and sold to Chief Obioha in 1991 by late Prof. Ben Enweonwu. However, the political crisis of 1993 forced him to self-exile in 1994 and the property left in the hands of one of his employees and confidant, Mr. Yomi Tokosi to manage. He later returned in 1998.
But a twist is added to the scenario as Tokosi came up with trump up criminal charges against Obioha that is currently playing out in the two courts where Tokosi and his allies are said to be pursuing criminal charges against Obioha, all in an attempt to strip him of his hard earned asset.
Narrating his ordeal, Chief Obioha said development on the land commenced with the foundation fully in place before bringing in Yomi Tokosi through a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with him. But Tokosi took advantage of his exile in 1994 wanting to criminally convert the said property to himself and employing all sorts of crude acts against Obioha, including physical attacks on him and family members.
Snippets from our correspondent on the case show that the Nigeria Police had made an investigation over the criminal allegations against Obioha with the report clearly exonerating him of the charges. The FCID police investigative report is clear with their findings and conclusions stating that ‘Mr. Yomi Tokosi prefers to tow the part of criminalizing the scenario for quick ejection so as to take over the property as the only obstacle was Chief Ralph Obioha.
The Police report further deduced that all through their investigations, Tokosi never denied that Obioha owns the property, arguing that he built on it based on a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) he had with Obioha. While Obioha confirmed the existence of such JVA, he is crying out that Mr. Tokosi rather than stand on it, is violating the agreement, wanting to convert the property to his own.
“The modus operandi in land and property grabbing by crooked Operators in Lagos is played out from this case as Tokosi first employed the services of expert forgers to fake the original documents after they had destroyed the original.
“Tokosi is boasting about being a son of the soil and the President of Lagos Aborigines Association and loudly proclaiming his invincibility, untouchable and shopping around Police formations to intimidate me, refused to be persuaded, and arraigned myself and others before the magistrate at Yaba Court 1 .
“Before that, the Alagbon Police has already conducted their own investigation listing the real suspects that on more than four occasions invaded the property of Chief Obioha causing harmful injuries to his daughter who was in the property when the hired thugs arrived. All these facts were documented in a detailed report (about 36 pages) obtained from the Police FCID Area 10 Abuja and instructions were issued to Lagos Police Command to discontinue the trial.
“But they started the prosecution again. This time in two courts: the magistrate court at Yaba and the State High Court at Ikeja. Meanwhile the land and property real ownership claims are playing at Justice Idowu State High Court and have reached an advanced stage”, Obioha laments, stressing that those that actually perpetrated the crimes of breaking and stealing his properties are walking free.
Photo: Chief Ralph Obiora.
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