Re: Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor

By Dr. Khamis K. Otuomo

THE MENACE OF IDENTITY THEFT, IMPERSONATION AND FORGERY BY POLITICAL OFFICE HOLDERS; ITS CONSEQUENCES TO NIGERIA FLEDGING DEMOCRACY AND THE ROLE OF THE NIGERIAN JUDICIARY IN CURBING IT.

Identity theft, also known as identity fraud, is a crime in which a predator; an impostor or impersonator wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data, information and in this specific case, WAEC result, in fraudulent and deceptive manner for political and economic gain.

In specific reference to the investigation of the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor for identity theft, impersonation and forgery by the Nigerian Police Force, the forensic examinations has shown that Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor has a case to answer regarding identity theft with the result that he is an impostor who has and who is still impersonating his younger relative who bears the name Francis O. Oborevwori who was born on 12th November, 1979, attended classes as per the Oghareki Grammar School register and sat for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) at Oghareki Grammar School, Oghareki, Ethiope West LGA, Delta State in 1999 at a period Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor born 19th June, 1963 per his own affidavit, was serving as a Supervisory Councilor in Okpe LGA.

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In the course of the investigation, nine (9) classmates of Oborevwori O. Francis whose names also appeared alongside Oborevwori O. Francis in the class register of Oghareki Grammar School namely; 1. Okoro Stanley (19 years old then), 2. Keremu Charles (19 years old then), 3. Okwuvwhere Oghenedoro (17 years old then), 4. Atikpakpa Anthonia (19 years old then), 5. Batere Daniel (17 years old then), 6. Ononaiyemue Augustine (19 years old then), 7. Oji Godbless (18 years old then), 8. Etacherure Afonughe (19 years old then) and 9. Abiyaka Augustine (19 years old then) has stepped out and volunteered statements and sworn affidavits under oath to the investigating team that the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor was never their classmate and never attended Oghareki Grammar School between 1998 to 1999 when they were students of the school as claimed by Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor.

The forensic examination has confirmed that the passport photograph on the Certified True Copy of the WAEC Certificate screen print out with Examination No: 4110605071 bearing the name Oborevwori O. Francis and marked exhibit “A” and the Certified True Copy of WAEC Certificate with Examination No: 4110605071 bearing the name Oborevwori O. Francis sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for election in 2019 election, marked as exhibit “B” and both marked as exhibit A and B are single passport photograph of one person- Oborevwori O. Francis made at a time and lifted from Document marked A, and placed on the Document marked B at different periods.

Also, the forensic examination has confirmed that the passport photograph in Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor 2014 INEC form marked as exhibit C and the passport photographs in Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor 2018 INEC form marked as exhibit C1 is not the same person in the passport photographs marked as exhibit A and B. (WAEC Documents).

The forensic examination finally confirmed that the passport photographs marked exhibit A, B, and C-C1 are different individual passport photographs.

It is instructive to note that the passport photographs A, B, and C-C1 were subjected to morphologically based technique employed in forensic photo identification. The methodology examined the photographs forensically for possible quality image details. This approach graphically analyzed the photographic features, compared and evaluated the visible features between the images and their potential matching traits and eventually confirmed that the WAEC Certificate with Examination No: 4110605071 bearing the name Oborevwori O. Francis born on 12 November, 1979 which the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor born 19th June, 1963 per his own affidavit is parading belongs to Oborevwori O. Francis who is a different person captured in passport photographs marked exhibit A and B and who is totally different from Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor captured in passport photographs marked exhibit C-C1 which he submitted to INEC in 2014 and 2018.

We have been reliably informed that the sum of N5B has been allegedly earmarked to be spent through the mother of a serving Honourable Commissioner in the Delta State Government who is a retired senior member of the Nigeria judiciary to subvert the court of justice and to help facilitate the injustice against Olorogun David Edevbie in the pending Appeal instituted by the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor. We learnt that she is still complaining that the N5B is not enough to go round the Judges and thus requesting for more money from the Governor who has refused to pay the state groaning pensioners. The judiciary must rise up boldly and courageously no matter whose ox is gored and no matter how much billions of Naira a Governor has paid to compromise the judiciary and Police, the judiciary must remain brave by ensuring that justice is done in every case of identity theft and identity impersonation. Our government will continue to witness significant increase in dubious and unfit political leadership until the judiciary says a CATEGORICAL AND FEARLESS NO TO IDENTITY THEFT IN NIGERIA BY POLITICAL OFFICE HOLDERS.

It is unthinkable for a Governor to believe that he can continue to use billions of Naira belonging to the suffering people of his state to hoodwink the Nigeria Judiciary so that the Judiciary will abandon their responsibility to protect the very spirit of our democracy and constitution. I take out this opportunity to appreciate, straight from my heart, the Nigerian Judges and Justices of both the Appeal and Supreme Courts who are the safeguards, preservers and protectors of the very principles of our Constitutional values and the very spirit of our nation’s democracy.

No superior court in Nigeria especially our highly regarded 72 Appeal Court Justices across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria and the 21 Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria will risk to lend itself to becoming part of “HISTORY GREATEST SCANDALS IN DELTA STATE, NIGERIA” by upturning the erudite judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja thereby making an alleged undocumented illiterate, identity thief, impersonator, forger and a person without the basic qualification of Secondary School Certificate or its equivalent a State Governor in Nigeria.

Our government, no doubt, is extremely vulnerable and susceptible to certificate identity theft and intruders. Many questionable politicians have successfully targeted the Nigerian government in their effort to look legitimate by impersonating the identities of holders of relevant and required certificates to gain valuable political positions in government for their own benefits to the detriment of standard, quality and good governance which has continued to erode international confidence in our dear nation and consequentially led to fraudulent government, bad governance, massive underdevelopment and inept leadership from the local, state and federal government levels in Nigeria.

Rumors has it that Governor Okowa has always known the truth about Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor’s certificates K leg over 6 years ago and was in fact one of the first persons to discover very early about the discrepancies in his credential and has spent billions of naira bribing and paying all the security agencies in Nigeria including the Nigeria Immigration not to release the real Francis O. Oborevwori’s international passport details that he used to travel to Germany. He has also spent a fortune to block every investigations and examination of the documents by the Department of State Security DSS, the Nigerian Police etc all to shield this state sponsored cover up in other to use same information to blackmail Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor his stooge Speaker to be approving every loans like the recent 12B, 20B, 150B and another 25B (207B) for him and to continue to use him as a stooge Governor from 2023 after his tenure. Governor Okowa has also boasted that he will out spend everybody and buy the judiciary up to the Supreme Court for Oborevwori Sheriff.

In fact, His Excellency Senator Dr. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa the Governor of Delta State who is now seeking to be the Vice President of Nigeria is an embarrassment to the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the people of Delta State, Southern Nigerians and the Nigeria Medical Association. It is a shame that while his colleagues Governors are delivering and campaigning with the dividend of democracy through infrastructure development such as roads, bridges, flyovers, schools, hospitals and payments of gratuities, pensioners, salaries etc, it is a national disgrace that Governor Okowa is busy borrowing and wasting billions of Naira belonging to Delta State to purchase Vice Presidential ticket, fund presidential ambition and using billions of Delta State money to bribe Judges to upturn the erudite judgment of Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo Rtd of the Federal High Court, Abuja so that his puppet who is an alleged undocumented illiterate, identity thief, impersonator, forger and an unethical person without the basic qualification of Secondary School Certificate or its equivalent to become the Governor of Delta State.

By this exemplary forensic, evidence and technology based findings, the serious allegations of Identity Theft, Impersonation and Forgery against Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor, the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly has been established and proven beyond all reasonable doubt by the investigation to have committed an offence thus: He represented himself and stole the identity of one Oborevwori O. Francis, and used the same stolen identity and false representation to become a member of the Delta State House of Assembly in 2015 and 2019 and eventually Speaker since May 2017 to date.

The society is crying for justice in this matter and only an intervention by the Court can answer the cry. It will therefore be in the best interest of justice to bring Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor to answer. The Court has the power to direct that Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor be brought to answer for his crime in order to protect the people of Delta State from fraudulent government, inept governance and underdevelopment under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

I urge the Court to issue warrant and summons against Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orowhedor for the crime of identity theft, impersonation and forgery.

Dr. Khamis K. Otuomo