An Assistant Lecturer at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, Professor Jachimike Adiele has denied defrauding any lady or jumping bail to warrant what he termed his abduction by the police.
Prof Adiele in a statement dated June 13, 2022, said the claim by the police that he jumped bail and defrauded a lady of the sum of N1.2million was largely untrue.
The police had on Saturday, June 11 seized the lecturer as he wanted to board a cab to his house after co-hosting a programme on Boss 98 9FM, Owerri, Imo State.
The former Professor of Education at the Novena University Ogume Delta State maintained that the manner he was seized and whisked away after alighting from the radio house has the trappings of abduction rather than arrest.
He, however, admitted he had a transaction with a lady who rented a shop at his family house at 58 Douglas Road, Owerri.
According to him, the lady could not take possession of the shop following the decision of his family to reconstruct the building.
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Prof Adiele added that following the development, the family lawyer was directed to issue quit notices to all the tenants and tidy up the process of refunding the rent paid by the lady.
He disclosed that the lady insisted on getting paid interest on the loan she had obtained to stock the shop as well as agent’s fee she paid.
The former Mayor of Owerri Municipality further disclosed that when he turned down the lady’s request, she reported the matter to the police.
According to him, on the strength of the complaint by the lady, police operatives swooped on his residence, gaining access from under his gate and abducted him without a shirt.
He said the cops had to buy him a shirt at the Mbaise Road/Douglas Road, Owerri intersection as they were taking him to the station.
At the station, he said he was bailed by a kinsman after writing his statement with an instruction to show up at the station again on April 1, this year.
He further disclosed that he had to ask his lawyer to stand in for him on April 1 because he worked outside Owerri on the fateful day which he(lawyer) did.
The professor added that his lawyer has been making slow progress convincing the lady to accept the money he offered her, informing that when his guarantor was detained when he went to the station for another matter he had to instruct his lawyer to secure his bail.
He described as a huge joke the position of the police that he jumped bail.
Hear him; “It must be a huge joke for anyone to say that I, who is regularly live on four radio stations and the NTA in Owerri, who had recently been very visible in a major political campaign, who had served as an elected Mayor and Executive Chairman of the Municipal Council and a Pastor’s Warden in the biggest Anglican church in town jumped bail and is being looked for. Only a lazy, distracted and mischievous policeman can claim so.”
