A 65-year-old native doctor, Chijioke Okaa, was on Friday, arraigned before the Chief Magistrate Court in Nnobi, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State for alleged fraudulently taking over possession of an orphan’s land.
The victim, identified as Miss Nzube Mbachu, was said to have been induced by the native doctor to make a title document of the land said to belong to her late father in his favour.
Okaa allegedly committed the offence in July, 2022 with one Olufemi Salako now at large after promising to build a house for the orphan.
Okaa, who hails from the Nnobi community, had told Mbachu that the deaths which had occurred in her lineage were because of the said land occupied by her and told her to relocate while promising to build a house for her and her children.
It was gathered that it was on this premise that Okaa made Mbachu allegedly sign documents transferring the ownership of the said land to him.
When the matter came up for hearing on Friday, the Police prosecutor, Mr Ifeanyi Eze said Okaa and Salako fraudulently made Mbachu to submit the title document of her land in their favour.
According to the prosecutor, the accused promised to build a house worth N10 million for Mbachu rather than pay her, which he never did.
The charge read in part: *That you , Okaa, concealed the title document with intent to fraudulently convert the property to your own through the title document, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 75 of the Criminal Code law, Cap 36, Vol 11, Revised Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria, 1991, as amended; and
*that you willfully and unlawfully damaged a building which is estimated to the value of N10 million which is the property of one Bonaventure Ezekwenna and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 7 of the Prohibition of Fraudulent Practices on Land and Property and other matters law of Anambra State of Nigeria, 2012.
The charge also read that Okaa, sometime in the month of April, 2022, at the Nigeria Police Force headquarters, Abuja, gave false information to the Inspector General of Police and his investigation officers that he duly purchased the land delineated in survey plan No. GEO-B/AN425/2021 from Miss Nzube Victoria Mbachu, a fact he knew to be false, with intention to cause the Inspector General of Police to use his lawful power to annoy Miss Mbachu and Bonaventure Ezekwenna.
When the charges were read to him, Okaa pleaded not guilty to all of them.
The presiding Chief Magistrate, Ken Nwoye, however, granted bail to the accused person in the sum of N200,000, and a surety who must be a resident within the jurisdiction of the court.
The presiding Chief Magistrate, Ken Nwoye adjourned the matter to January 26, 2024 for the formal handover of the case file to the Ministry of Justice.
