Man aided by Foreign Affairs Ministry to obtain int’l passport jailed 14 years for impersonation
Father in-law, Godian Amadi, remanded for unlawful custody of petitioner's children
Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
Mr. Emmanuel Iladion, who was aided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain an international passport as the husband of a former Nigerian diplomat and a former staff of the Ministry, Late Odinaka Obikwelu, has been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Nyanya, Abuja.
Mr. Iladion had impersonated a lawyer, Chuck Winston Obikwelu Esq., and stood as the husband of Late Mrs. Obikwelu before the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and travelled to Venezuela with her along with the children from the matrimonial union.
He was, however, seen swimming against the tide when the diplomat suddenly took ill and died in Venezuela and the whole entourage was forced back home to the seething anger of Barrister Obikwelu.
The lawyer instantly instituted legal proceedings against his late wife, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emmanuel Iladion, and any other individual who participated in the illegality, including the father in-law, Mr. Godian Amadi.
News Band had, on Jun 23, 2021, reported that the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) arraigned Iladion for impersonation, scamming the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Foreign Affairs Ministry to forge travel documents.
In a statement issued from ICPC Headquarters in Abuja, ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, said that Iladion was docked in a five-count charge brought before Justice M.B. Idris of the Federal Capital Territory High Court 26 in Nyanya.
According to the charges, he conspired with one Late Odinaka Obikwelu, a former worker at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to fraudulently obtain a diplomatic passport from the Immigration Service with the aid of Ministry officials.
He had posed as the husband of the late Obikwelu, who was then engaged in divorce saga with her husband.
Impersonating Mr. Winston Obikwelu, he had signed a letter titled “Consent for Issuance of Nigeria Standard Passports to Our Children”.
Ogugua explained further: “Mr Emmanuel Iladion, with the intention to mislead the Federal Government of Nigeria, knowingly gave a false statement to the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service in the E-Official Diplomatic Passport Data Form.
“The defendant was also accused of assuming the personality of Mr Chuks Winston Obikwelu when he signed the Consent Form for Issuance of Nigeria Standard Passports as the father of Obikwelu Enyiazu Theresa, Obikwelu Emmanuela Chimdindu, Obikwelu Joan Onyekachi, and Obikwelu Michael Elijah, in the name of Obikwelu Emmanuel Winston, when he knew he was not the father of the above-mentioned children.”
The trial judge, thereafter, ordered that the accused be remanded in the Kuje Correctional Service Centre pending a formal bail application.
The Court, consequently, found Iladion guilty of impersonation and sentenced him to 14 years imprisonment for falsely misrepresenting the identity of Winston Esq.
While speaking to News band, Obikwelu clearly stated that his aim is to get justice and regain custody of his children who, until now, were in the custody of Mr. Amadi.
In a petition addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr. Obikwelu said that an Ambassador-appointee, Ingekim Regina Ocheni, who was Director of Training and Staff Welfare, aided the impostor to pull off the heist.
In another report dated June 4, 2021, News Band reported that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama admitted that the Ministry played a role in allegations of criminally aiding and abetting corruption, fraud, impersonation, child trafficking, abuse of office, etc.
Read also:
Related Posts
EXCLUSIVE: Documents show how Foreign Ministry allegedly abetted impersonation, forgery, theft, trafficking; Ambassador Ocheni indicted; Buhari petitioned
Mr. Onyeama made the admission, albeit unwittingly, in a letter addressed to the National Assembly House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions presided over by the Chairman, Hon Jerry Alagboso.
The letter, signed by the Foreign Affairs Minister, was in response to a petition, file No. 351 of 2021, initiated by Obikwelu Esq.
He had alleged that the Ministry aided his estranged wife to criminally abduct his children and failed to hand over the remains when the wife died.
In the interim, Obikwelu also approached the Office of the Inspector General of Police with a petition for redress.
The Inspector General of Police directed the Deputy Inspector General of Police to handle the matter (see the attached letter below:
The investigation saw Amadi, who is blind, to spend four days in detention, following which he brought Obikwelu’s children out promised to hand them over to him on the May 22, 2023.
Details of the meeting on 12th May, 2023, with AIG Yari (FCID) and Godian Amadi, along with other suspects, were summed up by Obikwelu in a memo as captured below:
1. The AIG called all parties for interview following intervention from EFCC where one of their staff featured in the criminal abduction , conspiracy, perjury and abetment to wit;
2. After my submission before the AIG, he was shocked to see the level of absurdity Godian Amadi perpetuated .
3. The AIG asked Amadi two questions and he became hostile as usual. He further cautioned him to respect him self and stop misbehaving as an old man. He reiterated that on no account should Amadi unlawfully held my children for no justification and that police have the powers to enforce all laws .
4. Godian Amadi’s lawyer spoke and said they left FCID past 11pm yesterday wherein, he told his client the truth to hand over my children to their father and Amadi family restated the same position.
5. He further pleaded that they will bring my children to the Court on 22nd May 2023 where there was pending contempt proceedings to commit Amadi to prison for refusal to obey court judgment.
6. He said they will plead with me and court to allow the children finish their pending exams then return them to me finally.
7. Amadi was released from detention and reconciliation took place including 4 of his children that came.
8. In the spirit of reconciliation, I gave my children 30k (10k each)
9. Amadi’s daughter with EFCC was sweating while writing her statement and all Amadi children are all against their father
10. Amadi’s first son spoke to all his father’s lawyers and instructed them not to listen to their father again. He said all Amadi’s children has warned their father to respect himself and will deal with him if he troubles me again. He resolved to come down from Lagos and hand the children to me if his father continue with his misbehavior again.
See the Remand Order against Amadi below:
