Former Enugu Commissioner remanded in Correctional custody by a Federal High Court in Enugu till he’s able to meet his bail conditions.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Due to his inability to fulfill his bail conditions in a case of alleged false document and altering a document to benefit from land theft, immediate past Enugu State Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Dr. Victor Chukwuemeka Nnam, has been remanded in Correctional custody by a Federal High Court in Enugu till he’s able to meet his bail conditions.
The alleged offence is contrary to section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act. Cap M17 laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004.
Dr. Nnam is standing trial before the Federal High Court in Enugu in a suit of 10-count charges which the Federal Government brought against him before the court.
Following his application for bail when he was arraigned before the court, the court while discharging its jurisdiction granted Nnam bail in the sum of N200 and two reliable sureties in like sum but he could not immediately meet the bail conditions and was remanded in Correctional custody till his ability to meet the conditions.
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Among the bail conditions are, that the defendant and the two sureties shall not travel outside Nigeria without approval of the court. The sureties shall satisfy the court with their bank verification numbers, national identification numbers and telephone numbers, as well as evidence of their landed properties located in Enugu.
In the suit no. FHC/EN/CR/189/2021, the former Commissioner was accused of converting “Aruga Layout, Obinagu Obeagu Community, Enugu, Enugu State, which said property you derived directly from theft and or forgery”, thereby committing an offence contrary to section 15 (1)(a) of the Money Launbdering (Prohibition) Act. 2011, which is punishable by law.
Dr. Nnam who recently resigned his appointment in controversial circumstances as Enugu State Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development is also accused of intent to defraud the original owners of the land.
“It is the case of the prosecution that the defendants presented false affidavit of facts of Chief SundayNgene, Chief Oguejiofor, Egbo, Elder Okoh Christian, and Chief Chigbogu Eze to the appropriate government ministries and department in Enugu state for approval of Aruga Layout, Obinagu Obeagu Community, Enugu”, the suit stated.
Dr. Nnam is standing trial alongside a private firm, Geosynergy Services Limited, Enugu, while the case was adjourned till January 11 and 12, 2021 for hearing, when the accused shall have met his bail conditions.
Prior to the present case, an estate developer, Private Estates International West Africa Limited, had in 2019 instituted an action against the Governor of Enugu State, the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, and the Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, where the firm alleged that Nnam was before his appointment as Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development its resident/consultant surveyor but later betrayed it when, “he colluded with trespassers and registered part of its lands as layouts like Aruga Layout and Community Expansion Layout Obinagu Obeagu without its knowledge and approval, using some classified information and data that was made known to him while working for the company”.
The firm accused Nnam of breach of contract.
The company is seeking a declaration that “the purported revocation of the allocation of the plaintiff’s statutory right of occupancy or interest in the 1097 hectres of land situate at Obeagu/Amechi Awkunanaw, Enugu, covered by the building certificate of occupancy registered as 20/20/1622, is unlawful, null and void and of no effect.”
The firm also sought a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants and their agents from interfering in any manner whatsoever with its right of occupancy in 2p97 hectre of land situate at Obeagu/Amechi Awkunanaw Enugu, covered by the building certificate of occupancy dates November 10, 2009 and registered in 20/20/1622 at the lands registry in accordance with the law.
The company claimed the sum of N10m as general damages for the purported revocation.
