Delta monarch indicted in N15m fraud scandal
Monday, July 8, 2013
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These are not the best of times for
the disposed traditional monarch of Abavo community in Ika
South Local Government Area of Delta State, HRH
Uche Irenuma II as he is currently in the middle of an alleged fraud scandal in
connivance with the branch manager of Zenith Bank, Agbor branch, Mr. Chris
Arimoku and some staff of Pan Ocean co-operation, an Oil Company operating in
the Community to defraud the community of a whooping N15 million.
It was gathered by Naija Gossips that the monarch had been disposed by the community following the discovery of his irregularities.
It was gathered by Naija Gossips that the monarch had been disposed by the community following the discovery of his irregularities.
In a communiqué issued to that
effect, made available to newsmen, it reads in part, “that upon the resolution
passed by members of the Royal family of Abavo, traditional chiefs, Olotus,
elders, representatives of the 16 villages, men, women and youths of Abavo at the
Ogwa (Assembly) held at Olihe’s compound, Ekwuoma, Abavo on 22nd of June, 2012,
that Obi Uche Irenuma II, be dethroned and was dethroned as the Obi of Abavo,
which resolution was affirmed at a subsequent assembly held on the 4th day of
July, 2012,” Uche Irenuma, has seized being the Obi of Abavo, and new Obi has
since been installed.
Subsequent on his dethroning, his new position was communicated to the management of Pan Ocean Corporation, by the community leadership, asking the company to henceforth stop the payment of royalties to the sacked Monarch.
Sources within the Community confided in our reporter that the Company insisted on seeing an injunction from a court of competent jurisdiction before it could discontinue further payments of royalties to the deposed monarch on behalf of the Abavo community.
Documents made available to us, suggests that a group of some community leaders led by one Prince Smart Ajaja, approached the Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, in a suit numbered FHC/ASB/CS/39/2013, and obtained an injunction restraining the company from paying further royalties to the deposed Monarch.
Our investigation exposed that the Company, for fear of violating a subsisting court order, decided to issue a cheque in the name of Eleme of Obi-Anyima, believing that the King will be unable to clear the cheque owing to the fact that the occupant of the Eleme office was deceased and another Eleme is yet to be installed.
It was learnt that the Monarch, realizing the brick-wall set by the name on the cheque decided to activate his connection with the bank, using the Branch Manager, Mr. Chris to clear the cheque into an account operated by the late Elema of Obi-Ayuma, a man murdered in cold blood on May 5, 2011 by suspected assassins.
A Source in the Bank who pleaded anonymity confided in us that haven cleared the money into the Elema's account, the monarch went ahead to bring the a nephew of the account holder, to cash the money in connivance with some persons in the bank. "They wouldn't have been able to clear the money if not for the internal assistance some of our colleagues gave them. Even as at the time the account was credited with the money, the account was dormant has not been used for about 2yrs", the source said.
Our findings again had it that the nephew of the Elema who was used to clear the money, is said to be around 14yrs of age. His father, Mr. Joseph Chinyen, who is the late Elema's younger brother, is currently under detention at the Ogwashi Ukwu prison over his alleged involvement in the gruesome murder of the late Elema (his elder brother).
When contacted for comment, the embattled king who replied to our text messages however directed us to his media aide who later threatened a court action against any media house that dared publish the story. Further efforts made to get the embattled king to clarify issues yielded no result as he failed to honour all our scheduled appointments with him.
In his reaction, the Bank Manager, Mr. Chris Arimoku denied having any of such transaction in his bank. And when pushed further with facts, later admitted that transaction may have taken place in his absence.
"I am not aware of any such incident, and even if it happened, maybe it happened when I was away. I know nothing about it", he said.
On the part of Pan Ocean Oil, one Mr. Patrick Ketiku who spoke on the Company's behalf, denied knowledge of any Court injunction, stating that the Company only paid to the Community what it owed her.
"We are not aware of any court injunction, and even there was any, we were not served. We only paid to the Community what we owed her upon the pressure mounted on us by the Delta State Deputy Governor".
When asked what brought the Deputy Governor into the Company's dealings with the Community, Mr. Ketiku declined comments. He also refused to speak on how and why the cheque issued in the name an office where the occupant is deceased and the seat vacant was cleared.
Subsequent on his dethroning, his new position was communicated to the management of Pan Ocean Corporation, by the community leadership, asking the company to henceforth stop the payment of royalties to the sacked Monarch.
Sources within the Community confided in our reporter that the Company insisted on seeing an injunction from a court of competent jurisdiction before it could discontinue further payments of royalties to the deposed monarch on behalf of the Abavo community.
Documents made available to us, suggests that a group of some community leaders led by one Prince Smart Ajaja, approached the Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, in a suit numbered FHC/ASB/CS/39/2013, and obtained an injunction restraining the company from paying further royalties to the deposed Monarch.
Our investigation exposed that the Company, for fear of violating a subsisting court order, decided to issue a cheque in the name of Eleme of Obi-Anyima, believing that the King will be unable to clear the cheque owing to the fact that the occupant of the Eleme office was deceased and another Eleme is yet to be installed.
It was learnt that the Monarch, realizing the brick-wall set by the name on the cheque decided to activate his connection with the bank, using the Branch Manager, Mr. Chris to clear the cheque into an account operated by the late Elema of Obi-Ayuma, a man murdered in cold blood on May 5, 2011 by suspected assassins.
A Source in the Bank who pleaded anonymity confided in us that haven cleared the money into the Elema's account, the monarch went ahead to bring the a nephew of the account holder, to cash the money in connivance with some persons in the bank. "They wouldn't have been able to clear the money if not for the internal assistance some of our colleagues gave them. Even as at the time the account was credited with the money, the account was dormant has not been used for about 2yrs", the source said.
Our findings again had it that the nephew of the Elema who was used to clear the money, is said to be around 14yrs of age. His father, Mr. Joseph Chinyen, who is the late Elema's younger brother, is currently under detention at the Ogwashi Ukwu prison over his alleged involvement in the gruesome murder of the late Elema (his elder brother).
When contacted for comment, the embattled king who replied to our text messages however directed us to his media aide who later threatened a court action against any media house that dared publish the story. Further efforts made to get the embattled king to clarify issues yielded no result as he failed to honour all our scheduled appointments with him.
In his reaction, the Bank Manager, Mr. Chris Arimoku denied having any of such transaction in his bank. And when pushed further with facts, later admitted that transaction may have taken place in his absence.
"I am not aware of any such incident, and even if it happened, maybe it happened when I was away. I know nothing about it", he said.
On the part of Pan Ocean Oil, one Mr. Patrick Ketiku who spoke on the Company's behalf, denied knowledge of any Court injunction, stating that the Company only paid to the Community what it owed her.
"We are not aware of any court injunction, and even there was any, we were not served. We only paid to the Community what we owed her upon the pressure mounted on us by the Delta State Deputy Governor".
When asked what brought the Deputy Governor into the Company's dealings with the Community, Mr. Ketiku declined comments. He also refused to speak on how and why the cheque issued in the name an office where the occupant is deceased and the seat vacant was cleared.
It would be recalled that the people of Abavo, by a resolution after two meetings held on the 22nd of June and4th of July, 2012 respectively, the Abavo clan represented by all its accredited delegates, adopted a document dated 12th June 2012, which affirmed the dethronement of Uche Irenuma, as the Obi of Abavo.
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