Detained kidnap suspect defrauds lady

A suspect, Mr. Martin Ugwuagbo, charged with kidnap at Igboetiti Magistrate Court of Enugu State and presently at Nsukka prisons, is alleged to have defrauded one Uche Ugwuja of N180, 000 through the use of internet and telephone he gained access to, while in the prison.

Ugwuagbo, through a petition written by one Mr. Ekene Nwabah and addressed to the Nsukka Area Commander, Mr. Monday Kuryas, is accused of fraud and threat to life.

In the petition made available to the Daily Times, the petitioner alleged that Ugwuagbo connived with one Goodness Ugwoke to defraud his client. He appealed to the area commander to investigate the complaint, so that his client could recover her money.

“We urge that a detailed investigation be conducted on Ugwuaja and Ugwuoke for fraud and threat to life of our client”, he said.

Nwabah stated in the petition that Ugwuagbo, in 2015, while chatting on facebook from the prison met and became friend to his client. He told her that he was based in Abuja and sold building material, Ugwuagbo convinced his client that his father had a house in Nsukka town with many tenants, “that his father had died and he was now the landlord.

“My client agreed everything Ugwuagbo told her on face book not knowing that Ugwuagbo was a kidnap suspect awaiting trial in Nsukka prisons,” he said

According to the Nwabah, “Ugwuagbo told my client that he had problem with police, because he came home and the next morning a corpse was discovered in his father’s compound, which the tenants reported at Nsukka urban police station

“The suspect said he was arrested by Nsukka urban police and charged to magistrate court, he alleged that the magistrate demanded N400, 000 before he would be released on bail.

“At this point the suspect told my client to assist him and promised to refund the money, as soon as he returned to Abuja, since he had a big building material shop at Abuja. My client accepted thinking he was saying the truth.

“My client sent him the first N100, 000 with the deposit slip number 6500461 on October 5, 2015, second payment N70, 000 with deposit slip number 0017593 on October 6, 2015 and third payment N10, 000 with deposit slip number 0016193 on October 6, 2015; all in First Bank Plc though the bank account number 3096299211 of one Goodness Ugwuoke whom the suspect gave to my client.

Nwambah stated that when his client discovered that the person she had been dealing with on facebook was a kidnap suspect, she came down to Nsukka and demanded a refund of her money but Ugwuagbo replied that he had used it to settle his lawyers and warned her not to say anything about the money again or he will send his boys after her if she insisted on her demand for a refund.

According to Nwabah, “It was at this point that our client reported the matter to us and mandated us to petition police on the issue.

Daily Times reports that photocopies of deposit slips used for the payment of the N180, 000 in three installments into Goodness Ugwuoke’s First Bank account were attached to the petition which was copied to the Commissioner of Police Enugu State, the Chief Judge of Enugu State and the Controller of Prisons Nsukka among others.

An official of the prison said that Ugwuagbo is a boss to most of the inmates; he gives them money and also gives tips to warders who render assistance to him and buy drinks recklessly for anyone who renders him assistance.

The official said: “Ugwuagbo lives a life of a king in Nsukka prison; he gives money to his fellow prison inmates to attend to their matters in court.

The source added that, “Ugwuagbo is untouchable; most warders here treat him with respect. I learnt that he has a lucrative job before he was brought in here and his salary is regularly paid into his account.

“He gives tips and buys drinks to even warders; Ugwuagbo lacks nothing. He is the one who offers money to drivers to buy fuel to convene inmates to court”, the source added.

Daily Times also gathered from the prison official that some warders provides inmates with phones to call their families and loved ones, adding that it was possible that through this gesture inmates had access to internet to defraud their unsuspecting victims.

When contacted, the Controller of Nsukka Prisons, Mr. Lawernce Okonkwo, confirmed he that he had been served a copy of the petition and was waiting for the police area command to invite him.

Okonkwo said he had interviewed the suspect but he denied defrauding the lady. He said Ugwuagbo informed him that he was in marriage courtship with the complaint, expressing doubt that she was the one who directed the lawyer to write a petition of fraud against him.