JUST IN: WHY FORMER PROVOST OF FCVMLT, OKWORI JOSEPH AMEH ELEYI, WAS FOUND GUILTY AND SENTENCED TO 5 YEARS IMPRISONMENT

By: Amb. Valentine Adese (JP),

It has been reported that the former Provost of the College of Veterinary and Medical Laboratory Technology (FCVMLT), Okwori Joseph Ameh Eleyi, was been found guilty and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment for fabrication and giving false evidence by an Upper Area Court 1 of Plateau State.

In the Judgment of the Court delivered by Hon. Lawal Suleiman (Esq), on 7/7/2024, in case No: UACI/DCR175/2021, being a Direct Criminal Complaint, dated 24^th June 2021, but filed on the 7^th September 2021, by Mallam Muhammad Nasiru Abursa against, Okwori Joseph Ameh Eleyi, Dr. Beatrice Olatundum Oluwatayo and Umar Baba Aliyu of the College, on charges of alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, fabrication and giving false evidence, impersonation, criminal defamation of character, injurious falsehood and criminal intimidation contrary to Sections 59, 120, 141 (1 & 2), 372, 373 and 377 of the Penal Code Law of Plateau State, 2017 respectively, the Court held that, “A calm look at the entire evidence of PW1 and PW2, there is nowhere each of them evidenced directly to the fact that the Defendants agreed to commit any of the offences charged that they can be blameworthy for agreeing to do an illegal act or unlawful act to perpetrate a lawful act by an unlawful means, as held in foregoing authorities. I therefore hold that the complainant has woefully failed to establish the alleged conspiracy against the Defendants as such they should be entitled to a discharge of the said charge”.

Adding that, “This finding of facts will go on with the charges of impersonation, defamation of character, injurious falsehood and criminal intimidation. This is because, looking at the peculiar circumstances of the case that the parties were hitherto colleagues, working in the same institution, whatever each of them said against the other must be taken with due care and attention and that is why with respect to these charges that I enumerated above, I dear say that corroboration is necessary to proof their ingredients as the uncorroborated evidence of the PW2, being the direct victim of these allegations would as a matter of practice require an independent   evidence to support such assertions implicating the Defendants in a substantial law…”  

In nailing Okwori Joseph Ameh Eleyi, the Court in the Judgment stated that, “However, with respect to the charge of fabrication and giving false information, apart from the abundant and the uncontroverted evidence towards that, the 1st Defendant admitted in his defense as DW4 during cross-examination that they engaged the Institute’s Lawyer, who obtained the Court order in Jos and facilitated the breakage of the Complainant’s Office at the College.

“To me, in his position as the then Provost and Chief Executive Officer of the College as he then was, whatever consequence such an instruction attracted, he shall be ready to take such because, without doubt, he was the one that fabricated such information that led to the initiation of the Exparte Application that was later set aside as I enumerated in this Judgment….

“Conclusively, all the Defendants are discharged and Acquitted with respect to all the charges for lack of sufficient evidence with the exception of the 1st Defendant who is found guilty on the charge of fabrication and giving false evidence as I examined above.” 

TO CONTINUED…