Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission on Monday morning picked up the
President of Masters Energy Oil and Gas Limited,
Mr. Uche Ogah, on the premises of a Lagos State
Magistrates’ Court in Tinubu, Lagos Island.
Commission on Monday morning picked up the
President of Masters Energy Oil and Gas Limited,
Mr. Uche Ogah, on the premises of a Lagos State
Magistrates’ Court in Tinubu, Lagos Island.
Ogah was arrested as soon as he stepped out of
the courtroom after the forgery charges filed against
him by the Police were withdrawn.
Ogah, who was declared winner of the last
governorship election in Abia State by Justice Okon
Abang of a Federal High Court in Abuja on June 27
was, on June 16, arraigned by the Police for alleged
forgery.
But the police on Monday morning withdrew the
charges.
When the case was called, the Police prosecutor,
Henry Obiazi, told the presiding magistrate, Mrs.
Kikelomo Ayeye, that he had the instruction of the
Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to
withdraw the charges against Ogah and his co-
defendants.
“I am instructed by the IGP to withdraw this case,
as the issue is pending with the SFU,” Obiazi said.
The charges were consequently struck out by the
court.
But as soon as Ogah stepped out of the court
room, he was arrested by the waiting EFCC
operatives who drove him away in their van.
A source at the EFCC said the commission had
received a petition from the complainant in the case
against Ogah.
The source said Ogah was being interrogated,
adding that others would also be invited.
The other defendants in the charge which the Police
withdrew against Ogah were his company, Masters
Energy Oil and Gas Limited; and an ex-employee of
United Bank for Africa, Deji Somoye.
The defendants were accused of conspiring with
some persons still at large to forge a Memorandum
of Understanding between Masters Energy Oil and
Gas Limited and Mut-Hass Petroleum Limited
sometime in March 2011.
Ogah and some other persons still at large were
alleged to have forged the signature of one Mrs.
Bridget Adeosun.
The charges read, “That you, Masters Energy Oil
and Gas Limited, Uche Ogah, and others at large
sometime in March 2011 at Ikeja, in the Lagos
Magisterial District, did conspire among yourselves
to wit: forgery.
“That you, Masters Energy Oil and Gas Limited,
Uche Ogah, and others at large, on the same date,
time, place and in the aforementioned magisterial
district, did forge the signature of one Mrs. Bridget
Adeosun and a document known as MoU between
Mut-Hass Petroleum Limited and Masters Energy
Oil and Gas Limited, with an intent that it may be in
any way used or acted upon as genuine.
“That you, Deji Somoye, United Bank for Africa and
others still at large, sometime in August 2011, at
UBA regional office, Palmgrove, in the Lagos
Magisterial District, did knowing that Masters
Energy Oil and Gas Limited designed to commit an
offence, failed to use all reasonable means to
prevent the commission or the completion of the
crime.”
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty; after
which they were admitted to bail in the sum of
N200,000 each, with one surety each in like sum.
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