Funso Muraina
28 May 2008
Abuja — Former Governor of Anambra, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, has denied the allegation that he forged the police report on the murder of a lawyer and a former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Onitsha Branch, Mr. Barnabas Igwe and his wife, Amaka.
The Police had recently alleged that Mbadinuju forged their report on the 2003 murder of Igwe, the former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Onitsha Branch and his wife.
In an open letter to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mike Okiro, Mbadinuju said that the allegation was a ruse and an attempt to circumvent the judgment of the court which exonerated him from alleged murder of the Igwes.
In the letter dated May 22, a copy of which was made available to the press yesterday, Mbadinuju said that, it was ridiculous for the Police to claim that a report it issued in 2003, was doctored, five years after it was issued.
The former governor said that the Police had relied on the same report to prosecute him in different law courts since 2005.
"If they claimed that the report was forged why have they not made available the genuine report from 2003 till date?" he querried.
The document, he said, was used to prosecute him in Jabi Magistrate Court, Abuja and Onitsha Magistrate Court respectively in 1995 as well as in Anambra State High Court.
On February 21, Mbadinuju said that the High Court of Onitsha reached a decision that there was no fact and evidence linking him with the murder of the Igwes.
"The Court presided over by Justice D.O.C Amaechina discharged and acquitted me of any involvement or complicity on the murder of Igwe. When a court of competence jurisdiction has taken a decision in a case it is incumbent upon all parties to obey the court order.
"That is the essence of due process and rule of law. Rather than do this, the Police wanted to defeat the judgment of the High Court which exonerated me from the murder allegation.
The Police were represented in all the courts, why is it that it is after I have been cleared that they are now saying that their report was forged," he said.
"I was in Houston Texas the night they were killed, I have left Nigeria a week before they were killed. When I came back, I surrendered myself to the Police for investigation and they came to the conclusion that because I was away, I could not have killed anybody. Yet, I have been jailed, humiliated on the case that I know nothing about before I was finally cleared by the law court," he said.
He claimed that the new dimension of forgery introduced by the Police was an attempt to further tarnish his image.
He urged the Police boss to use his office to stop his men from harassing him over the matter and to respect the order of the court and the rule of law.
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