By DANIELA ITOE NGUM
A Kumba based lawyer, Barrister Nelson Aba Mbi has in strong terms declared that the entire Judiciary System in Meme Division and the South West Region in general has been corrupted and rendered powerless, such that they are unable to accord justice to the innocent and vulnerable people. Barrister Nelson Aba Mbi made this revelation on July 3rd, 2019 in a press briefing in Kumba.
“I am not mincing words, I am saying this with all alacrity because for what I have seen, the entire judiciary system has been corrupted by Lemchuku John”, Barrister Aba averred.
His declaration comes on the heels of a prolonged alleged illegal detention of his 65-year-old client, Josephine Egbedama Nnabue, despite testimony in court debunking the allegations of illegal acquisition of a shop at the Kumba Main Market and attempted murder of her ex-lover John Lemchuku.
The Barrister disclosed that both his client and her ex-lover are of Nigerian origin and from Imo State. He further revealed that the 23 years relationship between the two went sour after his client decided to put an end to their affair.
The legal mind further disclosed that within the 23 years of their relationship, the two acquired possessions including the said shop worth hundreds of millions under the name of John Lemchuku with the wealth his client, Josphine Egbedama’s late husband left.
“My client has been John Lemchuku’s concubine for the past 23 years and has carried out a lot of joint investments. Lemchuku met Nnabue while she was a widow who had a lot of properties from her late husband worth millions of FCFA. With the assistance of my client’s wealth, she and Lemchuku have built four storey buildings in Nigeria, bought 22 stores at the Kumba Main Market, build another storey building in Douala all in the name of Lemchuku who was considered the man though he could barely survive as in 1992 when he met my client”, the Barrister explained.
Barrister Aba further explained that unsatisfied with the unfair judgement passed against his client at the Kumba Court of First Instance and the South West Court of Appeal concerning ownership of the shop, the case was then appealed at the Supreme Court, there he noted a ‘Certificate of Deposit’ was issued on May 10, 2019 indicating a stay of execution of every action in regards to the shop pending the ruling of the Supreme Court.
The Lawyer revealed that after the document was issued to John Lemchuku, they got news of his alleged kidnap. This he said was an attempt to frame his client. “After serving Lemchuku the document from the Supreme Court, we only got news two days after that he has been kidnapped and after investigations it was discovered that it was a scam to tag it on my client”, Barrister Aba said.
He further revealed that the new development led to the arrest of his client Josephine Egbedama on May 25, 2019 by a police officer and she was accused of negotiating with Adolph BalembaAkwe to hire assassins to kill Lemchuku.
Barrister Aba averred that through Balemba’s revelations in court, he was forced to sign a pre-written statement by some police officers against his client or be tagged and killed as an Amba since he was already veiled, locked up in a dark room with a red cloth tied on his hand and undergone torture.
The Lawyer regretted the fact that despite Balemba’s confession in front of the Meme State Counsel refuting the allegations meted on his client but rather that it was Lemchuku who before then offered him FCFA one million to report to the police that the said money has been given to him to look for assassins to kill Lemchuku.
“A day after he was detained at the police station, Balemba approached a police officer and confessed that what he said against Nnabue was not true and that he was forced to have said so. The officer advised him to stay quiet and say that in court in front of the State counsel. The same narration was done in front of the State Counsel on May 29 when both parties were presented in front of the Sate Counsel. Balemba said there was never any engagement between him and Nnabue and that the statement was written by a police officer and he was to sign”, Bar. Aba revealed.
“After the declaration of Balemba that proved the innocence of my client, she was still detained at the level of the police for 18 days and subsequently brought before the State Counsel on June 12 in a critical health condition after being hospitalized. Despite her situation, she was reprimanded to prison custody without a discharge from a medical doctor”, Bar. Aba furthered.
Bar. Aba said despite all the steps that he has taken to ensure that justice be served to his client by meeting the South West Governor, addressing complaints to the Human Rights Commission, State Surveillance Security, the Nigerian Consul in Buea, the South West Attorney General, the Minister of Justice and other persons, his client is still in detention.
He added that in all his meetings, the officials recommended bail be granted to his client though the order is yet to be effected by the Meme legal department.