Police charge 4 suspects with ‘forgery’ in Anambra monarchy tussle
By Nwajiobi Ijeoma, Nnewi
The Nigeria Police Force have charged four people suspected to have forged a document bordering on who becomes Igwe in Nkpor community of Anambra state.
The police filed a six-count forgery, perjury, criminal conspiracy and breach of peace charge against Sunday Uche Nwaofia (Atunani), Patrick Ajemba, Onuorah Anigbogu and Ekene Okolo.
They were charged at the federal high court in Abuja.
The Nkpor Royal Dynasty, in a letter, had petitioned the police to investigate them following an alleged forgery of the constitution that regulates who emerges as Igwe of the community.
The dynasty said the suspects were attempting to create a crisis in the community to pressure the Anambra state government and Chukwuma Soludo, governor of the state, into making decisions based on what they described as a “false crisis”.
The four men tendered an alleged fake document in suit marked HID/72/2026 to stop the Anambra government from recognising Stanley Okeke as Eze designate of Nkpor community.
In the suit, the Anambra state government said the chieftaincy constitution used by the suspects in the aforementioned suit is “false, not extant, and not valid”. The government’s position was contained in a statement of defence.
Responding to the complaint of the Royal Dynasty of Nkpor, the police said forensic examination established significant differences between the documents tendered by the suspects and the original document with the state government dated July 4, 1982, and the original document registered at the national archives, Enugu.
“The result of the forensic examination stated clearly that there were features of non-identity, disparity and discrepancies between them,” the police said in the letter.
The police added that the document submitted by the suspects was found to have been allegedly forged, and that a prima facie case had been established against the four individuals.
No date has been fixed yet for the hearing.
