Nwobodo spits fire over N132.5m land fraud.

…will sue her for defamation.
..as wife says the petitioner may be deranged. By Cosmas Chukwu

Sequel to the petition of one US based Nigerian, Dr Cynthia Nwakoobi to President Mohammed Buhari, alleging serious land fraud up to the tune of 132,5 million Naira against former Anambra State governor and former Minister of Sports,Sen Dr Jim Nwobodo,his wife Patricia and Barr Eli Ugwu,

Jim Nwobodo has threatened to sue the petitioner for defamation. Sen Nwobodo reacted angrily to the development in his Amechi Awkunanaw country home on Sunday evening when he hosted our correspondent. “I am the only public officer who never acquired land while in office.Go round and check.All my property were acquired before I became governor”, I have no land with any encumbrance”. ” This lady is unknown to me,I have never met her or spoken to her on phone,I don’t know her.I am surprised that she petitioned against me.I am going to sue her!I will sue her and she will return to Nigeria to prove her case,yes she will return here to prove the matter.”,

Nwobodo said emphatically. Meanwhile his wife Patricia who actually had interacted with Dr Nwakaobi went down memory lane to enumerating how Barr Eli Ugwu had introduced the said Dr Nwakaobi and her interest in the land at Satellite Estate Enugu.She stated that Barr Ugwu had after selection of the six plots which they later bought, had conducted a search in the lands registry and conformed that there was no encumbrance on the lands. However, somewhere along the line,the petitioner seemed to have fallen out with the initial barrister and opted to deal directly with Access bank which engagement,Mrs Nwobodo reported had also collapsed.The petitioner later engaged an architect and this arrangement failed. “It was at this point that she told me that she wanted to continue the land deal directly with me.I refused because as a lawyer it was wrong to take a brief from a lawyer just on the phone.It was like they had disagreed on payment of consideration.So she went for another lawyer who now concluded the land deal.

To facilitate documentation I had given the lawyer a sample land deal.He delayed the completion of the document and by the time he was ready, we were off for an overseas medical trip. We were surprised to see her petition to the EFCC against to which we quickly responded to, and EFCC after investigating it saw that there was fraud in the whole exercise and had invited the plaintiff and her lawyer but the absconded. This new petition is very embarrassing as the petitioner has no case against us, and her access to the said pieces of property situate at Satellite Estate,Enugu remain unencumbered just as those of other clients”. Many other persons have bought lands ,developed or are still developing their own lands including NEPA,First Bank, UBA, two Methodist Church bishops,

other dignitaries as well as even some family persons, whose parents had actually donated the property to my husband”, Mrs Nwobodo narrated. She stated that it was possible that the lady was not mentally balanced,pointing out that she once told her that she was married to a devil and had sought her assistance to make Sen Nwobodo to arrange his arrest as he was visiting Nigeria. Those she said she had decided but rather encouraged her to manage her family well.Mrs Nwobodo wonders ho she quarreled with her cousin the initial lawyer, then Access bank, her Husband
and others around her “This is where I discerned that something was indeed wrong with her.

Buttressing her claims further she bought out and showed us ” Response to your letter of invitation dated 20/07/22 ,addressed to Sen Nwobodo and Mrs Patricia Nwobodo, written by their lawyer,Barr A A Okenwa o 25/08/22,Authority to register plots C6,55,78,80,83 and 84 situate at Satellite Estate,Enugu, of 03/03/22 addressed to the Commissioner of Lands and Urban Development,in the names of Dr Cynthia Nwakaobi,Jordan Nwakaobi and Hayden Duke Nwakaobi, authored by Sen Nwobodo and Patricia Nwobodo. Other supporting documents included Receipt for the sum of 128500 000 in the name of Dr Cynthia Nwakaobi, Jordan Nwakaobi and Hayden Duke Nwakaobi, issued by the duo of Sen Nwobodo and Mrs Patricia Nwobodo,, for the purchase of the six parcels of land at Satellite Estate Layout Enugu,and which was prepared by Surveyor Ifeanyi C Nnaji on Satellite Estate survey plan No/CN/EN/016/2021 ,dated 10/10/2021. Others are ,Notice of Discontinuance Brought Pursuant to

[05/12, 18:55] cosmas chukwu: Order 23 Rule 6 of the Enugu State High Court Rules 2006,Suit NoE/471/2019 of Igwe Ignatius Ugwu and 3 others versus HE Sen Jim Nwobodo of 18/06/2020, and Certified True Copy of Record of proceedings of the Enugu State High Court of Justice K.I.Okpe on Tuesday 21/07/2020 in Suit No E/471/2019. Also included was a communique issued by the people of Amechi Uno and Amechi Awkunanaw autonomous communities formerly known as Amagugwu Amechi Awkunanaw, after her General Assembly meeting held on 13/11/21, as published in the Sun Newspaper of 14/11/21. The Nwobodos were joined in their defence by the Amechi Awkunanaw National Executive led by their Secretary who insisted that the land was unencumbered and belonged Sen Nwobodo who had validly sold it.They averred that Dr Cynthia Nwakaobi , like other buyers has total access to her property even as they pledged the protection to her on her property. Joining Mrs Nwobodo in her position that Dr Nwakaobi may have gone haywire,a family friend and longtime acolyte of Sen Nwobodo,Dr Emeka Ani felt that there was really no case and criminality in the issue but felt that petitioner should be halted. Some others including political watchers feel like politics may be involved.Nwobodo’s insistence and support of Dr Peter Mbah’s gubernatorial ambition did not go down well with many.This is even as some pundits point accusing fingers to the suspended Igwe Okorie of the community and former PG John Egbo as persons who may have pushed Dr Nwakaobi to go on this mudslinging plight. All said, Sen Nwobodo has sworn to sue the petitioner pointing out that he has no case against her.