$119.4m Paris Club Refund: Businessman Reports Umahi to IGP, Alleges Threat to Life

*He is an impostor, we don’t know him, Governor’s aide declares

Sunday Aborisade, Abuja

A businessman and financial consultant, Dr. Maurice Ibe, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alkali Baba, alleging that Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State was threatening his life.
Ibe made the allegation in the petition written on his behalf by Charles Ude, from the Charles Ude and Co, Solicitors, and made available to THISDAY in Abuja yesterday.

He claimed that the governor was allegedly threatening his life because of the $119, 419,427.59 Paris Club refund which his firm and others recovered for the state but were not paid their commission.

The petition with (Ref: CU/01/EB/2022) addressed to the IGP urged the police authorities to forestall the, “Illegal and Unlawful Attempt to Abduct, Kidnap and Harass Dr. Maurice Ibe by Dave Umahi, Executive Governor of Ebonyi State.”
The lawyer pleaded with the IGP to, “proactively take steps to halt the move by the governor and the select police officers he has engaged for the nefarious activity against Dr. Ibe.”

However, the Governor, through his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Chooks Okoh, dismissed Ibe’s claims while speaking to THISDAY, and described the financial consultant as an impostor who is not known to the Ebonyi State Government.
He said, “We do not know who Maurice Ibe is. He claimed to have helped the Ebonyi State Government recovered money from the Paris Club but it is in the public domain that there was a consultant that recovered the fund for all the governors and the arrangement was coordinated by the Nigeria’s Governors Forum.
“On what basis will somebody now be asking the Ebonyi State Government for money for something that was clearly done by another person on behalf of all the governors in Nigeria?

“It is good that he has petitioned the Inspector General of Police. Let the IGP investigate thoroughly and indict whoever that is culpable.”
Meanwhile, Ude insisted in the petition that his client, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Mauritz Walton Nigeria Limited, Abuja, had noticed clandestine moves by some policemen around his home and office premises in unmarked vehicles.

He claimed that he had reasons to suspect that the men were acting on the instruction of Umahi.
He therefore said there was need for the IGP to protect him from being attacked or abducted by the Policemen allegedly sent after him by the Governor.
In the petition, the solicitor explained that based on a Memorandum of Undertaking (MoU), Mauritz Walton Nigeria Limited and Andrew Bishopton Limited, acting as partners, entered into a working relationship that enabled them to collaborate on a consultancy contract for Ebonyi State Government.

He claimed that the business relationship led to in the recovery of the sum of $119, 419,427.59 for the state as over-deductions and miscellaneous charges wrongfully made by the federal government of Nigeria on foreign loans utilised by Ebonyi State Government from 1995 – 2002.

The petitioner further alleged that the Ebonyi State government defaulted in the payment of the consultancy fees agreed between her and the consultants.
It added that the development led to the filing of Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/35/2022, between Andrew Bishopton Limited and the firm of its client, Mauritz Walton Nigeria Limited, versus the Government of Ebonyi State.

The lawyer explained that the originating summons which was instituted at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt Judicial Division, was duly served on the Defendants before the hearing commenced in the suit.

He added that the Ebonyi State Government engaged the services of a legal expert to prosecute her defence at the Federal High Court.
However, he added, that since his defeat at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Umahi had resorted to using Abakiliki Command of the Nigerian Police Force to witch-hunt his client.

Ude referred the IGP to a previous move by Umahi, which he alleged was to use the Abakaliki Police Command to swoop on his partner, Jackie Ikeotuonye, the Chief Executive Officer of Andrew Bishopton Limited.

The solicitor added that his client along with the Chief Executive Officer of Andrew Bishopton Limited have exhausted all diplomatic means to get Umahi to pay them but regretted that the move was not successful.

He said the situation left them with no option than to drag him to the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt Division.

Consequently, he added that on Thursday, July 21, 2022, the Court, presided over by Justice Stephen Daylop Pam delivered judgment in their favour and ordered Umahi and the Ebonyi State Government to pay them the agreed amount based on the services rendered.

Unfortunately, he alleged that Umahi resorted to using different means to intimidate his client and his partner, including the use of the Ebonyi Command of the Nigerian Police Force who immediately swooped on her at her Abuja home, and in a frightful manner forcefully took her to Ebonyi and has been incarcerated at their facility in Abakiliki since July 31, 2022.

He said, “Our client had observed the trailing of his car and the strange movement of persons in unmarked vehicles around his home and office, on or since the 31st July, 2022.

“He is convinced that but for his personal security personnel, he would have suffered the same faith as Ms. Jackie.”

“He had gone into hiding on account of the same, and needs to regain his liberty and resume his normal activities which he cannot presently do with the threat of Umahi’s style of justice hanging on his neck like the “sword of Damocles,” part of the petition read.