Justice Florence Duruoha-Igwe (Rtd), the Chairman of Abia State Judicial Panel on Recovery of Government Property and Funds, has taken a decisive step by issuing a bench warrant against Mr Umezuruike Ikenna Kingsley, the General Manager of South East Farms and Agro Processing Co. Ltd, for his failure to appear before the panel and provide evidence as required.
The notice dated 22/3/2024 served on Umezuruike was the basis for the bench warrant, as confirmed by Justice Duruoha-Igwe, who expressed disappointment over the lack of response from Umezuruike up to the point of issuing the warrant.
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Consequently, the panel chairman ordered the arrest of the general manager and set the next hearing for 3/5/2024, during which Mr Kelechi Nduaguibe, the general manager of Abia State Estate Development Agency, and Acho Nwakanma, the former Deputy Governor of the state, were directed to appear before the panel to provide their testimonies.
Additionally, a memo served on the Permanent Secretary of Abia State Ministry of Works, Mr Izuchukwu Onwughara, was discussed by the panel, where Onwughara highlighted the alleged lack of involvement of the Ministry of Works in direct labour road projects during the previous administration, emphasizing the neglect of resident engineers by the former government until the current administration took over.
