Alleged Fraud: Court Okays Ifeanyi Uba’s Arrest

Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah

A Federal High Court in Lagos has  dismissed a suit filed by businessman turned politician, Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, seeking to restrain the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting him over an allegation of fraud.

Ubah, who was the former governorship candidate of Labour Party in the last election in Anambra State, had filed the suit seeking to stop his arrest over an allegation of
fraud, forgery, altering of forged documents, conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence and tax evasion.

The allegation was said to have arisen out of a lease agreement between Ubah and a firm, DTV Limited.

Ubah, who is also the managing director of Capital Oil and Gas Limited, had urged the court to stop his planned arrest by the EFCC in connection with the alleged crime.

He had joined the inspector-general of police and the attorney-general of the federation as respondents to the suit, arguing that the plans by EFCC to arrest him were as a result of desperate moves to stop his then governorship ambition.

But Justice Saliu Saidu, after reviewing the facts of the case, ruled that there was reasonable suspicion that an offence had been committed by Ubah to which the EFCC had the power to investigate.

Justice Saidu said, “I cannot stop the respondents from performing their constitutional duty and I hereby refuse all the reliefs sought by the applicants (Ubah and Capital Oil) in this case.”