More petitions, allegations flood Abia panel on property, funds recovery

Justice Florence Duruoha-Igwe (Rted) and her Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Recovery of Government Properties and Funds have heard and questioned more petitioners in recent weeks.

In the petition JP/REC/52/2023, Samuel Expo sued the Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Okezie Ikpeazu, Mrs. Uloma Nwogu, Eze Adolphus Abakwe, and Samuel Ekpo, the traditional prime minister of the Itungwa autonomous community, alleging that 300 hectares of land donated to the Itungwa/Itukpa community primary school in Obingwa had been used for unauthorized structures.

According to the petition, Okezie Ikpeazu, the previous Governor, wanted to use some of the land for an automobile engineering workshop, and the former Executive Chairman of Obingwa had informed them of this.

Concerns regarding illicit high-level fraud, illegal sand dredging, and impersonation in Ahuwa Oboro, Ikwuano LGA were highlighted in a petition filed by Prince Goodwin Egbesie against the Commissioner for Petroleum and Mineral Resources.

Damage to farmlands and roads allegedly caused by illicit sand dredging was cited in the petition.

In another case, the panel cross-examined a petition filed by a spokesperson of the Abia State Ministry of Trade and Investment, Onyebuchi Nwankpa, against the GM of Methodological Complex Nig Ltd, Mr. Henry Nwaejike, which alleged the looting of government properties in a warehouse situated in Aba and the alleged non-remittance of funds into the government purse.

There were also around seventy disgruntled professors and staff members at Abia State Polytechnic Aba who filed a suit demanding to know why they were let go between May 2015 and May 2023.

The professors said they were fired one month after providing their services.

However, Mr. Friday Omenihu, the Bursar of Abia Poly, said that letters of disengagement had been provided to the terminated employees.

He informed the panel that the institution paid three months’ wages to the fired employees’ senior staff but just one month’s compensation to the subordinate staff.

He detailed the money coming in thus far, saying that 5 billion and 117 million naira had been received in subventions and 830 million and 405,000 naira had been received in bailout funding.

The bursar also reported that between May 2015 and May 2023, Abia Poly received a total of 7,423,260,260,850 Kobo in IGR monies.

Mr. Omenihu stated that the workers’ disengagement from duty was due to a lack of funding in the institution.

The dismissal of the Abia Poly personnel was justified, however, by another member of the Polytechnic’s staff, Mr. Prince Okechukwu, who claimed that the petitioners did not match the minimum qualifications for employment.

The action has been postponed till November 16, 2023, and the Judicial Panel Chairman, Justice Florence Duruoha-Igwe (Retd), has ordered Mrs. Kelly Ahunanya, the Registrar of Abia Poly, to provide the panel with the school’s nominal roll between May 2015 and May 2023.

In a separate instance, the Ppanel conducted a cross-examination of the director in charge of the local government services commission in response to a petition submitted by Mr. Chidozie Ohiaogu (case number JP/REC/51/2023).

Chidozie Ohiaogu has been protesting his dismissal from the team since 2015.

Respondent Emenike Oji, however, claimed that the disengagement of 4,000 people in Abia State, including the petitioner, occurred under the previous administration and that the word of disengagement was broadcast over the radio.

The Abia State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Recovery of Government Properties and Funds has been extremely busy since it began hearing petitions from aggrieved persons and responding to them.

In June, Governor Alex Otti formed the Judicial Panel to accept and investigate complaints and memoranda from individuals and corporations alleging looting or conversion of government property, funds, or other assets.