SaharaReporters further gathered that the police never searched his house but arrested him immediately they found the item.
Friday Ovia, a key witness that saw Mr Chindeu Nicholas Makwe, a Director with the National Health Insurance Scheme, physically assault one Mrs Orji on the June 12, 2020 at her husband’s farm in Ovumnte, Ishiagu in Ebonyi State, has been arrested.
SaharaReporters gathered that Ovia was arrested by the Divisional Police Officer of Ivo Police Station, Nwornu Daniel C, on Tuesday on trumped up charge.
His daughter had few minutes before the police arrival saw two men place a black nylon bag in front of his house while he was taking his bath.
The police dragged him out of the bathroom after he was severely beaten and handcuffed before taken to the police station.
People living in the neighbourhood confirmed what Ovia’s daughter said.
They told SaharaReporters that they saw the police van clearly packed at a near distance to his house before the two men, who dropped the incriminating material were seen, and that the police made the arrest shortly after the two men had left the scene.
It was gathered that Makwe, a brother to the member of the House of Representatives representing Ohaozara/Ivo Federal Constituency, left his job at the National Health Insurance Scheme to dispose indigent land owners in the community.
He had led thugs and surveyors into Moses Orji’s farm where they were surveying and placing beacons on the land despite a bailiff of the state High Court of Ebonyi served on them (FORM 48/Notice of Disobedience to Court Order).
Orji and his wife, who arrived to feed their remaining livestock left after Makwe had used a bulldozer to destroy the farm in January, 2020, saw him and the thugs on their farm placing beacons thereon.
The wife, Mrs Orji, then brought out her phone to video and take pictures of what Makwe and the surveyors were doing on the farm despite a court order.
Realising his pictures were being taken, he rushed to the woman with four thugs and pushed her to the ground, then kicked her and attempted to take her phone from her.
The woman hid the phone in her cloth and shouted for help on top of her voice that they wanted to tear her clothes and take her phone.
It was at that point that they left after verbally abusing her.
Another man that accompanied the woman was pushed into the gutter.
It was gathered that Mrs Orji later went to lay a complaint at the police station but was told that it was late, that she should come back the next day.
In the morning of June 13, 2020, she went to the police station again to make her complaint against Makwe and the DPO refused to accept it, saying that the case was already before a court in Abuja.
She told the DPO that it was a case of assault and said that she was going to report to the Area Command if the DPO refused to accept her complaint.
She was already crying before the DPO accepted the complaint but refused to stamp it, saying that the administrative section of the police unit will open on Monday, June 15, 2020.
The DPO later assigned an officer, one Mr Austin, as the IPO to investigate the complaint and then told Mrs Orji that Makwe will be invited to the police station on Monday.
When the day arrived, Ovia and Mr Ossi Chukwu, who saw Makwe when he physically assaulted the woman, gave their statements to the police.
However, on Tuesday, the story took a difderent twist as it clearly appeared that Ovia had been framed after an incriminating material was planted in front of his house.
SaharaReporters further gathered that the police never searched his house but arrested him immediately they found the item.
A source told SaharaReporters that the DPO in charge of Ivo Police Station, Nwornu Daniel C, has shown from his actions that he is being unduly influenced by Makwe and other powerful persons, who want to unlawfully and forcefully acquire lands from the original owners in Ovumnte community.
He said between January 21 and 23, 2020 when the properties of Mr Orji were being destroyed by Makwe and others acting on the orders of Chief Pius Anyim, a former Senate President of Nigeria, the DPO told him clearly that the police does not interfere in land matters even if properties were being maliciously destroyed and that he should go to court to get an injunction.
He was later forced to make a criminal complaint at the headquarters of the Ebonyi State Police Command in Abakalikli on January 30, 2020.