A private investigator and Abuja-based lawyer, Victor Uwajeh has reacted
to a petition written against him by the Chairman, Senate Committee on
Public Accounts, Andy Uba alleging blackmail, extortion and threat to
life.
Speaking with journalists Wednesday in Abuja, Mr Uwajeh who is the
subject of a petition before the Inspector General of Police IGP, said
he never blackmailed the senator as there are pieces of evidence to
question the fidelity of the lawmaker’s certificates.
“This is a case that is already in court, that is going through the
judicial process. One of the things I sought in my plea in court was
for an order directing Sen. Andy Uba to collect the originals of his
academic certificates being the doctorate degree in Buxton University,
degree certificate in science from Concordia University Montreal,
Canada, his WAEC certificate and the document from his Boys High School,
Awkunanaw. All the originals are with me. Let him come and collect his
originals and pay me my money”, he explained.
Uwajeh who paraded several documents including copies of Sen. Uba’s
passports, said he is ready to testify against the Anambra senator,
asking him to pay him his legal fees of £1.9 million pounds rather than
trying to use state power to silence him.
“If I am not close to Andy Uba, I won’t have copies of his American and
Nigerian passports which he gave to me in the process of working for him
to get the UK authorities to lift the travel ban placed on him since
2008.
“In the process of trying to prove that he is a genuine character, he
presented lots of documents to be presented to the United Kingdom
authorities which included some forged documents, WAEC certificates and
others which were part of the documents that were filed in court. So, it
has become a public document especially as they have also been
published in the media and when we wanted to verify the issues, WAEC
confirmed that the certificate that Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba is parading is a
forged one and I expected the authorities to look into this issue
vehemently because the issue of forgery in the national assembly is now
something of alarming proportion”, he said.
“In his newspaper interview, he alluded that I fought with Farida Waziri
of EFCC and a host of other persons. I was engaged by EFCC, I had
issues with them and was taken to court and I was discharged and
acquitted. The issue he is bringing is irrelevant.
“The issue that concerns his certificates, I am not ready to go into it
now but if the authorities want to investigate; if I am invited by the
IGP, DSS or presidency to come and tender the originals of Uba’s
(forged) certificates and let things be put right, I am ready and
willing to do that”.
“I have never blackmailed Andy Uba, I have three powers of attorney
signed by him and myself and I have done the job he asked me to do, to
lift the ban on entering into the United Kingdom and after I have done
everything, he has refused to pay me my legal fees of £1.9 million
pounds”, he stated.
Sen. Uba had on Tuesday accused the lawyer of trying to blackmail him,
urging the IGP to treat his petition “with your characteristic urgency
and meticulousness”.
“As I stopped all communication with Mr. Uwajeh, his telephone calls and
text messages even became more desperate and threatening. He would go
between pleading for financial help to threatening in desperation. These
text messages were sent vide mobile telephone number 0705155518 and
+447424924346. These messages remain available for verification should
the need arise.
”The character of Mr. Victor Uwajeh is not in question as there have
been very strong allegations of similar nature against this man. The
same allegations I make today were made by late Prof. Dora Akunyili, Mrs
Farida Waziri, Mrs Cecilia Ibru among others”, Uba had alleged.
