A non-governmental organisation, Women for Women (WFW), has petitioned the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdurraham, demanding the prosecution of former State Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Mrs Chieso Aninwagwa for alleged misappropriation of the organisation’s N5 million.
The women group in a petition to the Police Commissioner through their Solicitor, Chukwunonso Daniel Ogbe, dated March 27, 2020, with the title: “Request to prosecute a suspect in court,” alleged that the Aninwagwa who was former chairperson of the WFW in Enugu state was doing everything to truncate the investigation of the New Haven Police Division which indicted her.
According to the petition a copy of which was forwarded to our Correspondent, the organisation wants “the matter to be taken to Court for Aninwagwa to be prosecuted for her obvious nefarious deed,” even as it discovered that she “has further embarked on steps, aimed towards subverting the course of justice and drawing the attention of your officers and men away from the illegality which she perpetrated while she held sway as the chairperson of the organisation.”
It was further gathered that the embattled Aninwagwa who left office as chairperson of NAWOJ, Enugu State chapter sometime in 2014 still operated the association’s account with one Ngozi Otahumele discreetly. She had reportedly for the past five years used the account to defraud several unsuspecting members of the public who would ordinarily send monies through corporate account instead of private ones.
The Solicitor to the group stated that the Secretary General of WFW, Ochiora Amaka Okonkwo had briefed him that “the erstwhile Chairperson of our Client being Mrs Chieso Aninwagwa misappropriated the sum N5,000,000 belonging to our client without just cause.
“Our Client had earlier lodged a formal complaint against Mrs Chieso Aninwagwa with the New Haven Police Station and the matter thoroughly investigated and concluded by the New Heaven Police Station in a professional manner.
“Our Client reasonably believes that Mrs Chieso Aninwagwa admitted having misappropriated the sum of Five Million Naira Only (N5,000,000.00) belonging to our Client in the course of the criminal complaint being entertained and investigated by the New Haven Police Station.
“Surprisingly, as our Client awaited the matter to be taken to Court for Mrs Chieso Aninwagwa to be prosecuted for her obvious nefarious deed, our Client discovered that Mrs Chieso has further embarked on steps, aimed towards subverting the course of justice and drawing the attention of your officers and men away from the illegality which she perpetrated as afore-described.
“The assertion made in this regard is hinged on the fact that our Client reasonably believes that Mrs Chieso Aninwagwa is working hand in glove with some highly connected personalities in the country, in order not to be arraigned in Court to face trial; by making moves to present a fresh petition bordering on the misappropriated funds of our Client to the higher echelon of the Nigerian Police Force over the matter that has already been investigated in its entirety by the New Haven Police Station.
“Accordingly, we most respectfully urge you to direct your officers and men at the New Haven Police Station who investigated the criminal allegation that was brought against Mrs Chieso Aninwagwa, to charge Mrs Chieso Aninwagwa to Court to face criminal trial, based on the investigation which the New Haven Police Station had earlier carried out and concluded over the matter.
“The modest demand of our Client in this regard is hinged on the fact that Mrs Chieso Aninwagwa is determined to retract from the admission of the commission of the criminal allegation leveled against her, which admission we reasonably believe she made in the course of her being investigated at New Haven Police Station,” the petition read.
Efforts to get the reaction of Mrs. Aninwagwa proved abortive as repeated calls to her mobile phone indicated that the line was switched off.
