Emmanuel Ukudolo
Nigeria, June 2, 2016 – Former Nollywood superstar, Emeka Ogwunze was today docked by a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi , Lagos over controversy surrounding sudden disappearance of $930,000 aboard Emirate Airlines.
Ogwunze who featured briefly in Nigeria’s grade A soap opera, Checkmate, produced by the late Nollywood Icon, Amaka Igwe currently works as a licensed Customs Clearing Agent at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.
Ogwunze who also featured in films like Betrayal, Ikuku, Osofiasin, Single & Married and After the Storm, another soap opera that featured like Checkmate on the network of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)was arrested and detained in police custody for several days in mysterious circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the money in 2009.
Cited as FHC/L/386/09 , Federal Republic of Nigeria Vs Dr. Emeka Ogwunze, the Police and others, Ogwunze said under cross examination that the money was a contribution by several people for the purchase of goods in China and that he gave the money in tapped envelope to Prince Chucks Ikem Orji who obtained a tag after being checked in by Emirates Airline and provided Orji with escorts to assist him with immigration formalities. He told the court that he also gave him $100 as appreciation.
The former Nollywood actor who said he has never sent money through third parties to China said he opted to send the money through Orji because he was introduced to him by the wife of his bosom friend in China who confirmed to him that Orji was his business partner.
He said that the plane was to travel enroute Dubai to China and that days after the plane departed, he received a call from China that the money was not received.
Curious about the development, he approached the airline in Nigeria who gave him a document to enable him traveled to Dubai in search for the money. He told the court that he called Orji to join him in Dubai but that when Orji failed to show up in time he had to leave for London but that on his way to Lagos, he met Orji in Dubai who also raised apprehension and suspicion about the money.
He said that since he lacked visas to travel to Bangkok in search for the money, he had to come to Nigeria to prepare his visa to enable him travel and that it was in the process of preparing the visa that Prince Ikem Orji arrested him with policemen.
He said that he was detained in police cell for days while his international passport was seized. He said that he was surprised that the primary suspect of the missing money would turn around to arrest him. He accused officers of the Nigerian Police Force of collecting bribe to detain him and that he did not make effort to arrest Orji since his primary concern was how to trace the money.
His Lordship, Justice Buba Idris adjourned the matter involving the Nollywood star, Emeka Ogwunze to 17 and 18 October, 2016 for further hearing.
