Douglas Blessing
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt yesterday, heard the cross examination of business mogul, Chief Cletus Ibeto in a suit between his companies and Dozzy Oil and Gas Limited.
The matter registered in Suit No. PHC/268/FHR/2022 was presided by Justice Adolphus Enebeli.
Cross examining Ibeto, the defence counsel, Emmanuel Ukala, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), the suits
Ibeto on the resumption of proceedings under cross examination, the defence counsel, asked Ibeto the size of the property in dispute, the location, the original owners from where he derived his title.
Responding, Ibeto said he needed to see the documents to know the particular land the defence counsel was referring to before he could answer the question.
At that moment, a ding dong battle ensued between him and the defence counsel seeking to clarify the document.
It lingered till the presiding judge intervened, and informed him (Ibeto) that he would suffer no disadvantage to own up.
He was also unable to tell the court the size of the property in dispute, but insisted that the subject matter was the land he purchased from Bundu-Ama community.
Ibeto said: “The land I purchased that brought us to court (subject matter) was bought from Bundu-Ama community and not Nigerian Ship Builders Limited. I am emphasizing that the land, which is the subject matter of this case was purchased from Bundu-Ama community
“The land I purchased is from Bundu-Ama community. It was not purchased from Ship Builders Limited. But, I purchased some portions of land from Nigerian Ship Builders Limited.”
It was the presiding judge’s intervention that enabled Ibeto to accept that the document was in line with his instructions because he had earlier adopted them.
Ibeto in the suit against Dozzy Oil and Gas Limited in one of the suits pending before the court, is trying to defend himself on allegations of the sale of property that allegedly did not belong to him and other allegations of fraud, breach of trust and forgery against him reported by Dozzy Oil and Gas Limited to EFCC.
In the suit, he had dragged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Dozzy Oil and Gas Ltd before a court seeking an order to stop the EFCC from arresting and or investigating him whatsoever, in enforcement of his fundamental human right.
The criminal allegations against him and his companies bordered on obtaining N4.6 billion through false pretense from Dozzy Oil in the sale of a large expanse of land situate at Reclamation Phase 2 in Port harcourt.
It was alleged that Dozzy Oil only found out that Ibeto’s title on the property was contrived, hence, the demand for the refund of about N4.6 billion being accumulated payment and cost of the transaction, which he ( Ibeto) declined to refund. Dozzy then petitioned EFCC for recovery of his funds.
Dozzy Oil’s Executive Chairman, Daniel Chukwudozie, had alleged that he was approached by Ibeto (the applicant) to purchase a parcel of land situated at Reclamation Layout Phase 11 Port Harcourt, but only to discover that the property did not belong to Ibeto nor his companies.
The matter was later adjourned to February 7 and 8, 2023, for continuation of cross examination of Ibeto.
