The Chief Inspector of Courts and President, Special Grade of
the Delta State Customary Court, His Honour D.S.O Unuame (Mrs.) has
written to the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC)
demanding for immediate retirement of Elizabeth Uviarherhe Omoru
from the service of the Delta State Judicial Service Commission for
serial alterations of date of birth.
The National Judicial Commission, Abuja was also copied for
immediate action.
The letter from the complainant counsel, Olukunle Ogheneovo
Edun, a Senior Partner and Head of Litigation, Tri-lex Partners
which was addressed to the Chairman of ICPC, dated 14th May,
2019 and made available to TheNigerialawyer(TNL), is among others
requesting the commission to act urgently and to ensure that
Elizabeth Uviarherhe Omoru is directed to refund all the
salaries, allowances and other perks of office paid to her or
collected by her, commencing from 2nd day of November, 2016. Also
that any other person involved should be prosecuted for
falsifying/altering official records for personal gain or any other
offence disclosed in the petition.
The letter reads: “That Mrs. Elizabeth
Uviarherhe Omoru, (formerly, acting Chief Registrar, Delta State
Court of Appeal but now, Deputy Chief Registrar, Delta state
Court of Appeal) was employed into the service of Delta State
Judicial Service Commission in May, 2006, and the official
records furnished by her at the time of entry point indicated that
she was born on the 2nd day if November,1956, and was
therefore due for retirement in November, 2016 when she ought to be
60 years old.
“That in 2016, the position of the Chief Registrar of Delta
State Customary Court of Appeal became vacant and there was need to
fill same. The year saw the mutilations and falsification of
the record by certain government officials with a view to enhancing
the opportunity of one of their own.
“That Mrs. Elizabeth Uviarherhe Omoru ought to have retired by
November, 2016 but surprisingly about 6 months to her retirement
were surreptitiously initiated and exchanged with the speed of
light, all with a view to ensuring that her newly discovered date
of birth of 2nd day of November, 1960 was properly documented to
prolong her stay in service and to enhance her chance of being
substantive Chief Registrar of Delta State Customary Court of
Appeal. As at this time she was Acting in that capacity. It is on
record that during her service period and within a space of 3
years, she altered her age 3 times progressively form 1956 to 1958
and again, 1960.
“That Mrs. Elizabeth Uviarherhe Omoru had her uncle, one Johnson
Ukugbawa Ezeyighu to depose to another affidavit on the 6th day of
March, 2013 stating that her formal date of birth of 2nd November,
1956 was guess work and her true date of birth is 2nd November,
1960. The uncle did not State that the “2nd of November,” date was
also a guess work; the uncle was also silent on the earlier altered
date of birth of 2nd November, 1958 for which there was no
affidavit to support same. Surprisingly, the said uncle did not
State the source and circumstances under which he came across the
information Stated in the affidavit.
“Based on her “new date of birth” of 2nd November, 1960, and
going by her educational history in her application form into the
civil service, Mrs. Elizabeth Omoru stated that her father was
a civil servant and never claimed that he was deceased as at the
time her mother deposed to the affidavit on the 6th day of August,
1981.
“It is instructive to also state that as at 2008, Mrs. Elizabeth
Uviarherhe Omoru by her letter dated 23rd March, 2016 to the Head
of Service, Delta State had already admitted that her 3rd date of
birth of the 2nd November, 1960, was apparently smuggled into
Delta State Public Service Records without requisite
approval. This is because she did not make any affidavit to
effect this change of date of birth in 2008, considering the fact
that the purported affirmative of her “uncle” stating that her 3rd
date of birth was made on the 6th day of March,
2013.
“The question is, how did she hack into the Heckerbella system
to backdate her record and alter her date of birth? Why procure an
affidavit to pretentiously regularize what actually been unlawfully
done in 2008?
“It is important to state that Mrs. Elizabeth Omoru had earlier
made failed attempts to alter her age but her application was
rejected on the 15th day of August, 2013 by the Delta State
Directorate of Establishment and Pension vide its letter referenced
ED.39/64/7.
“Interestingly, the 2nd Age Declaration of her “Uncle” was made
on the 6th day of March, 2013. It would therefore be right to state
that this new affidavit was presented to the Directorate of
Establishment and Pensions and it was rejected. It becomes
more surprising that she re-applied again but deliberately refused
to state this fact in her latest application for change
of birth.
“It is obvious that the entire process was a charade and had
fraud written all over it. The rush and speed with which the
alterations were processed were self-revealing and given them
out.
“It is very bewildering that as at 24th May, 2016, the office of
Delta State Head of Service had pre-emptively replied a letter from
the office of the Chief Registrar, Delta State Customary Court of
Appeal dated 30th day of May, 2016, in respect of this subject.
This must be a legal “abracadabra”.
“Let us look at the jet speed with which her application was
treated and closed out. Her application dated 23rd March,
2016, tagged “RE: ERROR IN AGE OF MRS ELIZABETH OMORU”
from the office of the Head of Service to the Chief Registrar,
Customary Court of Appeal, Asaba, dated May, 24th, 2016
requested for her personal file to be forwarded to the office of
the head of service and another letter confirmed that Mrs
Elizabeth’s Uviarherhe Omoru’s application was forwarded to the
Head of Service on the 25th of May, 2016 and the said application
was approved by the Head of Service and it reads:
“Based on the advice from the Ministry of Justice that the
second sworn affidavit tendered by Mrs. Elizabeth Omoru indicating
2nd November, 1960 as date of birth is tenable in law by virtue of
Section 118 of the Evidence Act, thus nullifying the first sworn
affidavit with the 2nd November, 1956, as her date of birth.
“It is on record that the person that made the first affidavit
was the mother of Mrs. Elizabeth Omoru, Mrs Rose Akpajawor, and it
was deposed to on the 6th day of August, 1981 at the Registry of
the Magistrate Court, Benin. The person that made the 2nd affidavit
is one Johnson Ukugbawa Ezeyighu who deposed to same on the 6th day
of August, 2013 at the Registry of the Magistrate Court, Effurun
about 38 years after making the previous affidavit.
“The 2nd affidavit mentioned the name of Elizabeth Omoru mother
as one Mrs. COMODA AKPAJAWOR (Nee Ezeyighu) and nowhere in the
affidavit of the mother of Mrs Elizabeth Omoru, the name, Mrs
COMODA AKPAJAWOR (Nee Ezeyighu) mentioned. It is obvious that the
deponent in the 2nd affidavit was talking about a completely
different person and affidavit entirely.
“Therefore, the affidavit of Johnson Ukugbawa
Ezeyighu who deposed to same on the 6th day of August, 2013 cannot
and can never nullify or supersede the affidavit of Mrs Rose
Akpajawor deposed to in the 6th day of August, 1981.
“Considering the history of the fraudulent schemes and the
pre-emptive approval which was probably done in concert with other
government officials, Mrs. Elizabeth Omoru, new age of birth
eventually became the 2nd November, 1960 and now due to retire on
the 2nd November, 2020, instead of 2nd November, 2016.
“It is no longer news that the alterations and falsification of
date of birth and official records by the civil servant seems to be
the norm in the public service and this compelled the office of the
Head of Service, Delta State to issue circular NOHOS/30/T1/21
titled, “Lobbying for Appointments and Falsification of Officia
Records.
“Alteration/falsification of Official records is a very serious
offence and when it is intended by a public offiicer to achieve
personal gain, as in the extant case, it becomes a very serious
official Corruption. Mrs Elizabeth Omoru continues to still
be in service of the Delta State Judicial Service Commission and
being paid salaries, allowances, and perks of the office from the
treasury of the Delta State. Her date of birth was altered three
times to achieve these personal gains to the detriment of the tax
paying public.