The Enugu State Command of the Nigeria Police has finally apprehended the suspended Councillor representing Umualor Ward in Isi-Uzo LGA of Enugu State, Hon. Maxwell Aluagbo, who was accused of defrauding the Council and embezzling N1.1 million naira meant for ameliorating the suffering of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in his constituency.
Aluagbo, male, 33, was arrested in a hotel with a lady who simply identified herself as Blessing. She denied being a member of any criminal gang and said her relationship with Maxwell Aluagbo is sex for money.
The incident happened when men of the Nigerian Police in Enugu were raiding the area following a tip off that some criminal gangs that have been terrorizing the city were using some hotels around the Nike Lake axis of Abakpa, Enugu, as their hideout.
Maxwell Aluagbo, who went into hiding since the matter was exposed following petitions and his suspension by Isi-Uzo Legislative Council, was immediately arrested when he mentioned his name and identified himself to be a Councillor in Isi-Uzo LGA, as the police has been on the look out for him.
He was subsequently taken to the Enugu State Police Headquarters where he was said to have confessed to the crime.
Recall that the Isi-Uzo Legislative Council had on Wednesday, July 6, 2023, suspended Hon. Aluagbo for allegedly embezzling the funds meant to alleviate the suffering of IDPs, who took refuge at Umualor and other IDP camps in Isi-Uzo following the Eha-Amufu-herders crisis that led to loss of lives and property.
He was also accused by his colleagues of divulging matters discussed during an executive session of the Legislative Council in clear violation of Rule 3(e) of the Legislative house.
Moving a motion for Aluagbo’s suspension, the Majority Leader, who is also the Councilor representing Neke Ward 2, Hon. Nnabuike Ugwu, expressed worry over the petitions by stakeholders and leaders of Umualor community that the sum of N1.1 million naira approved by the Council to alleviate the sufferings of IDPs in their community was yet to be released many months after.
Summing the debate, which saw many Councillors expressing anger over the report, the Leader of Isi-uzo Legislature, Hon. Irenus Anene Nnaji, described the allegations as serious and unfortunate, saying it was a sacrilege for anyone to temper with funds meant to deliver democracy dividends to the people of Isi-Uzo, let alone funds meant for IDPs.
The Legislative Council, therefore, constituted a three-man Committee to further investigate the allegations and report back to it.
However, in a swift reaction, the embattled Councillor, Hon. Maxwell Aluagbo had taken to the social media and some online news channels to allege that he was being witch-hunted by the Council and not paid his wardrobe allowance for attending the reception organised by Member representing Isi-Uzo State Constituency, Hon. Eze, after his inauguration on 13th June.
But concrete facts show that payment of Councilors’ wardrobe allowances in Isi-Uzo was concluded in May and about 21 days before the said House of Assembly inauguration and reception.
There is also evidence that the sum of N1.1 million was transferred to Maxwell Aluagbo’s UBA account number 2066599607 on March 3, 2023.
A Councillor representing one of the Isi-Uzo wards, who, however, preferred not to be named in print since he was not authorised to speak on the matter under further investigation said the allegation by Aluagbo that he was not paid wardrobe for attending the inauguration of the Labour Party House of Assembly Member “is patently false”.
He said: “The truth is that Maxwell Aluagbo is under investigation for embezzling the N1.1 million paid into his account for the benefit of his community. As a matter of fact, I was around the day he came to the Chairman’s office begging for a soft-landing. He said he used the money to weather a storm in his business and pleaded with the Council Chairman that the money be recovered by the Council through using his wardrobe allowance in lieu. So, I’m in shock that the same man has suddenly turned around to make the wild allegations.
“Who cares if he attends a post-inauguration reception in the moon. And by the way, is Hon. Gabriel Eze not our son? Being in Labour Party does not take away the fact that he is a bonafide Isi-Uzo son.
“Besides, Maxwell Aluagbo still receives his salaries and overheads as a Councilor like everyone of us till date. So, why didn’t the Council Chairman stop those payments too if he was being victimized as he claimed. He is not smart at all and people should be careful what they support for partisan reasons because what is at issue here is money meant for IDPs. Maybe they don’t understand what it means to be an IDP. ”
Informed sources said Maxwell Aluagbo made a lot of contradictory statements during interrogation and later confessed to the crime.
It was gathered that from alleging that the money was a part payment for a deal he did for the Council Chairman, Aluagbo later changed the narrative that the money was paid to him by the Council to fix his car and fund his wedding expenses.
However, it was gathered that on further interrogation, Maxwell Aluagbo, who was marrying for a second time, was said to have confirmed that he wedded on 6th January, 2023 while the money in question was transferred to him about two months after, on March 3rd, 2023.
A source from the Nigeria Police, Enugu said investigation has revealed that Maxwell Aluagbo’s allegation against the Isi-Uzo Council Chairman is clearly false and appears to be politically motivated as a lot of Labour party supporters came to plead for soft landing for the embattled Councillor who was also overheard telling an Hon. Member from Labour party that he was the one that put him in this whole mess.
Credit: Journalist101