A former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, has
written a petition to the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, demanding
the prosecution of blogger and social media influencer, Japheth Omojuwa, for
alleged fraud.
The petition titled, ‘Petition Against Mr Japheth Omojuwa
for Forgery, Fraudulent Misrepresentation and Fraudulent Use of the Name,
Identity and Particulars of Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili as a Director of Alpha
Reach Limited RC No: 1066507’ is dated April 14, 2021, but was received at the
Force Headquarters on April 15.
In the petition, signed by Marshal Abubakar of Falana and
Falana chambers, Ezekwesili said Omojuwa fraudulently listed her name as a
director in his firm, Alpha Reach Company Limited without her permission,
adding that she only got to know of the infraction when she was contacted by
American news outlet, Buzzfeed, over a story on Alpha Reach.
Buzzfeed had reported that Alpha Reach ran a social media
campaign for the release of alleged fraudster, Alex Saab, who is wanted in the
United States. The news medium further reported that Ezekwesili’s name was
listed as a director in company documents filed at the Corporate Affairs
Commission.
Ezekwesili, who was a co-founder of Transparency
International, said when she was informed of the development, she quickly
called Omojuwa to confirm if she was ever listed as a director at Alpha Reach
but he said she was not.
The former minister subsequently attached as evidence,
communications between herself and Omojuwa wherein the blogger allegedly stated
that he never listed her as a director in the company.
Incidentally, Omojuwa had in an open letter addressed to
Ezekwesili on Tuesday said he obtained her permission before listing her as a
director.
The petition read in part, “It is our brief that our client
promptly contacted Japheth Omojuwa to confirm whether he forged her signature
and other incorporation documents and processes but he informed her that the
Alpha Reach Company Limited is his company and that she is not involved in it
at all.
“Please find attached the referenced communication between
our client and Mr. Japheth Omojuwa.”
Ezekwesili further stated that she requested for the
incorporation documents from Omojuwa and he promised to make them available to
her within the week but he never did.
The petition further read, “Japheth Omojuwa never sought for
her consent and /or participation in incorporating any company whatsoever and
for any purpose whatsoever. The said Japheth Omojuwa neither sought for nor
obtained requisite incorporation documents and information the CAC would
require in processing the registration i.e the particulars of directors, share
numbers, signature of directors, means of identification of directors and
address etc.
“Our client reiterates for emphasis that she never filled or
signed the statutory consent of first directors of Alpha Reach Company Limited
in 2012 and or at anytime whatsoever.”
The former minister told the IG that throughout the time she
was fraudulently made a director in the company, no notice of meetings, annual
returns, accounts or board resolutions were issued to her.
She noted that her name was eventually removed in 2017 but
no special notice of proposed removal was ever issued or served on her.
The petition further read, “We submit that the foregoing
infractions amount to forgery, fraudulent misrepresentation and egregious
breach of extant provisions of the Penal Code Law, the Administration of
Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and the Companies and Allied Matters Act deserving
of investigation and prosecution.”
Omojuwa had in a letter on Tuesday claimed he duly obtained
Ezekwesili’s permission before making her a director, adding that Kaduna State
Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, was also a director at the firm.
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