A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja is set to hear a bail application tomorrow filed by lawyer Chinwe Onuoha, who is accused of forging a property document belonging to police officer CSP Ngozi Braide in an attempt to secure a loan from the Bank of Industry.
Justice Hakeem Oshodi scheduled this hearing after the arraignment of Onuoha and her company, Elhcrim Nigeria Limited, on a twelve-count charge involving conspiracy, forgery, and the uttering of false documents aimed at defrauding the Bank of Industry.
The charges, brought forth by the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU), outline how the defendants and others, currently at large, allegedly conspired in 2020 to forge a lease agreement dated February 12, 2018.
This forged document was allegedly submitted to the Bank of Industry as part of a fraudulent scheme to secure a loan, which harmed Ngozi Braide.
The first count accuses the defendants of conspiracy to commit forgery by creating a false lease agreement, in violation of Section 516 of the Criminal Code Cap. C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The second count alleges conspiracy to utter a false document, highlighting that the forged lease agreement was knowingly submitted to the Bank of Industry as an authentic document, again violating Section 516 of the Criminal Code.
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The third and fourth counts relate to forgery of signatures, accusing Onuoha and Elhcrim Nigeria Limited of falsifying the signatures of Ngozi Braide and Titilayo Opeyemi on the lease agreement.
These actions were allegedly taken with full knowledge that the signatures were fake, with the intention of using the document as genuine before the bank.
During the arraignment, Chinwe Onuoha pleaded not guilty to all charges. Emmanuel Jackson, the head of legal at the SFU representing the police, requested that the court proceed to trial and sought the remand of the defendant in a correctional facility pending the conclusion of the case.
In contrast, defense counsel Ikechukwu Chiha urged the court to hear the defendant’s bail application, emphasizing the need for her to adequately prepare for her defense.
After considering arguments from both sides, Justice Oshodi adjourned the matter until February 25 for the hearing of the bail application.
In the meantime, the judge ordered that the defendant be remanded in a correctional facility until further proceedings.
