Police foil attempt to blackmail Imo federal lawmaker

File: Nigerian Policemen

The Police in Imo have described as “frivolous and unfounded” the allegation of rape levelled against Kingsley Uju, a member of the House of Representatives.

SP Orlando Ikeokwu, spokesman for the Imo Police Command, said at a news conference on Wednesday that the allegation against the lawmaker (Ohaji-Egbema/Oguta/ Oru West Federal Constituency) was unfounded.

The PPRO said investigations revealed that a woman, Mrs Nkeiruka Kamalu, 40, and other conspirators attempted to blackmail and extort money from the lawmaker.

According to him, on May 5, a case of advance fee fraud, conspiracy, forgery and threat to life, was lodged against Kamalu.

He said that the woman had claimed to be pregnant for Uju and blackmailed him into sending various sums of money to her, including the money to travel to Canada to have the baby.

Ikeokwu, however, said that diligent investigations revealed that Kamalu was neither pregnant nor travelled to Canada nor had a set of twins as she claimed.

He said rather, she connived with one Emeka Muoneke to buy a child somewhere at Nnewi in Anambra with N1.8 million.

“Our investigations reveal that all of Kamalu’s allegations were false.

“She actually got software that enabled her phone to show a foreign number anytime she placed a call to Uju.

“Kamalu and Muoneke confessed to the crime and also led detectives to Nnewi where they bought the child and all the suspects, including a homeopathic doctor, who sold the baby to them, were arrested and charged to court.

“We have all the details of the phone calls, text and Whastsapp messages she sent to Uju, using her phone and that of Muoneke.

“We hereby wish to state that Kamalu’s claims that she was victimised, tortured and unlawfully detained were false and baseless and intended to deceive members of the public,’’ the PPRO said.