The Department of the State Security Services (SSS) has reportedly commenced actions to establish if a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship aspirant in Delta State, Mr. Festus Iwerebo, was actually convicted for drug crime in Austria in 1997.
Iwerebo, one of the aspirants in Ika North-East Local Government chairmanship contest, was accused of being an ex-convict, who was deported after serving his alleged jail term in Europe.
The SSS was said to have swung into action following a petition by an Abuja-based indigene of state, Dr. Patrick Bucknor, and an accompanying affidavit by Dr. Friday Obiwe, who swore on oath at an Abuja High Court on July 17 that Iwerebo was an ex-convict.
In Obiwe’s affidavit accompanying Bucknor’s petition dated October 18, a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune, the deponent claimed that he had incontrovertible evidence that “Iwerebo was tried and convicted for drug in 1997 in Europe, precisely Austria and Nigerian respectively. He was deported after the service of term of years of imprisonment to Nigeria.”
A full record of proceedings of the Grade 1 Area Court in Madalla, Suleja, Niger State, dated March 28, was also attached to the petition to the SSS, to prove his alleged conviction in Nigeria for cheating and criminal breach of trust.
In the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the court’s record, Iwerebo was alleged to have pleaded guilty to an accusation of collecting money from one Samuel Ogaga of No. 134, Suleja Road in Madalla, to get him travel documents to Europe, which he allegedly failed to deliver.
The court record showed that Iwerebo had reportedly refunded the money and there was no definite pronouncement of the court convicting or sentencing him.
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