SaharaReporters had reported in 2020 how the woman was arrested and detained at the Ebonyi State Criminal Investigative Department on trumped-up charges instigated against her by former Senate President, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim and his associate, Makwe.
The Ebonyi State Magistrate Court sitting in Abakaliki has discharged and acquitted a 64-year-old woman, Christiana Orji, accused of resisting arrest and giving false information following a petition written by Chinedu Nicholas Makwe, a Director in the National Health Insurance Scheme.
SaharaReporters had reported in 2020 how the woman was arrested and detained at the Ebonyi State Criminal Investigative Department on trumped-up charges instigated against her by former Senate President, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim and his associate, Makwe.
Makwe is also a brother of Hon. Livinus Makwe, a Member of the House of Representatives representing the Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency.
In the ruling on Monday, the court upheld a No Case Submission filed by Orji’s Counsel in Charge No: MAB/538/2021 (Commissioner of Police Vs. Christiana Orji) and held that the prosecution was unable to prove any single ingredient of the allegations against her.
The court, therefore, discharged and acquitted her of the said charges, sternly warning the police to desist from further harassing her without cause.
In January 2020, Makwe reportedly directed a bulldozer that moved from Chief Anyim Pius Anyim’s residence in Ovumnte, Ishiagu in the Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State to destroy a vast commercial farm known as Orji Farms.
The farm is owned by Orji's family.
Moses Orji, Christiana's husband made several complaints to the DPO in charge of Ivo Police Station, Nwornu Daniel C, he was unwilling to act, indicating that he was being unduly influenced by Makwe and other powerful persons, who wanted to unlawfully and forcibly acquire land from the original owners in Ovumnte community.
The DPO informed Moses Orji and his wife that the police do not interfere in land matters even if properties were being maliciously destroyed and that he should go to court to get an injunction.
On 23rd January, 2022, Moses Orji filed a lawsuit (Suit No: HSK/4/2020) before the Ebonyi State High Court against Makwe and Anyim over the malicious destruction of the Orji Farms.
Despite filing Suit No: HSK/4/2020 against Makwe, he left his job at the National Health Insurance Scheme to dispose of indigent landowners in the community.
He further threatened to kill Moses Orji if he did not give up the said Orji Farms for the development of a megacity proposed by Chief Anyim Pius Anyim.
Sir Moses Orji and his wife then fled to Abakaliki where they made a complaint to the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Charge of the State C.I.D at the Ebonyi State Police Command.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police in Charge of the State C.I.D thereafter directed Sir Moses Orji and his wife to return to Abakaliki on 5th February 2020.
The couple reported at the Ebonyi State C.I.D on the said 5th February 2020 but were arrested and detained by police officers from the Office of the Inspector General of Police, who stated that they were acting on a petition written by Chief Anyim Pius Anyim against Sir Moses Orji and his family.
The said police officers were led by one CSP Dalhatu Usman of the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit at FCT Police Command, Garki 2, opposite old CBN, Abuja.
Despite the orders of the Ebonyi State High Court in Suit No: HSK/4/2020, Makwe and four thugs on June 12, 2020, entered Orji Farms, assaulting Christiana Orji and causing her grievous bodily harm when she attempted to use her android phone to video their acts of trespass on the farm.