Group accuses Imo deputy Speaker, Iwuanyanwu of allegedly flaunting chieftaincy title amid fraud case

Imo House of Assembly Deputy Speaker being conferred with chieftaincy title.

By Editor

Jan 14, 2023

A group under the aegis of Protect Democracy (PD) has berated Hon Amarachi Iwuanyanwu, the deputy speaker of Imo State House of Assembly for allegedly flaunting chieftaincy title despite the case of corruption against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

A statement signed by Mr Lawrence Nnamadi, the director of publicity of the group and made available to newsmen in Benin City, noted that the deputy speaker was flaunting chieftaincy title, "Amarachukwu of Nwangele" conferred on him by the 13 traditional rulers of Nwangele local government area of the state when the anti-graft agency was supposed to have arrested him.

Nnamadi said the arrest was sequel to an order by the Abuja division of the Federal High Court over an alleged fraudulent act.

According to him, Hon  Amarachi Nwachucku, deputy speaker, Imo State House of Assembly recently posted  on his Instagram handle pictures of him being conferred with the chieftaincy title of the Amarachukwu of Nwangele by the 13 traditional rulers in the Nwangele local government area of the state.

He recalled that a federal high court, Abuja division, in a ruling  delivered in November, 2022  by Justice Inyang Ekwo, directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Immigration Services and the Interpol, to arrest the lawmaker anywhere he is sighted in Nigeria or outside Nigeria and produce him before this honourable court or to the EFCC headquarters, Abuja.

"The Protect Democracy is  irritated and angry at the inability of Hon Iwuanyanwu to live up to the dictates of his office and status in the society.

"Hakiz Investment Company Limited had in a petition to the chairman of the EFCC, signed by its lawyer, Mr. A. A. Malik, SAN,  alleged that sometime in 2012, the company entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hon Iwuanyanwu's company to develop an estate comprising of 14 units of four bedroom terraces and a block of six flats on the petitioners land situated at Manuchi, Abuja.

"The contents of the MOU which is binding on the parties stipulated that upon completion of the Estate by the Respondent, the defendant, who is the owner of the land, would take 40 percent of the building while the Respondent, being the developer, would take the remaining 60 percent.

"The EFCC however alleged that its investigations have so far revealed that upon completion of the Estate, Defendant sold out all of the buildings and criminally diverted the proceeds without the knowledge of the Respondent/Complainant.

"Furthermore, the EFCC stated that the market value of the buildings is about N785m, adding investigations were still ongoing and that all invitations extended to Hon Iwuanyanwu and his company to step forward and state their version of the financial transaction has proven abortive",he said.

The Director of Publicity of the group added that the order for Iwuanyawu’s arrest was as a result of  an ex-parte application dated November 14, which the EFCC brought before the court through its lawyer, Mr. Olanrewaju Adeola.

In the application marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2124/2024, EFCC, told the court that it got an intelligence that the lawmaker had since escaped from the country and is currently hiding in the United States of America, USA.

The group said Hon Uwuanyanwu has been seen both in and outside Owerri  legislative office moving around freely and unhindered, rollicking with fellow politicians while also refusing to take any concrete steps to vacate the court-ordered warrant arrest on him.