On Tuesday, the Federal Government brought four individuals believed to be involved in the kidnapping and murder of Eze Basil Njoku, the traditional ruler of Amanze Obowo Autonomous Community in Imo State, to court.
Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, who serves as the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, presented the suspects before Justice Binta Nyako to face amended charges consisting of five counts.
Utilizing sections 174 of the 1999 Constitution and 105 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, the AGF, through his legal representative David Kaswe, initiated the trial on terrorism allegations.
The four accused individuals are Jude Iheme, Chika Madukwe, Nwokorie Chidiebere Ejike, and Victor Nwajuiba Obumneke.
They are alleged to have committed the heinous act of killing the monarch on December 17, 2022, shortly after extorting a ransom of N4 million from his family as he was returning from the Federal Medical Center in Umuahia.
In the charge filed under FHC/ABJ/CR/575/2024, the defendants, in collaboration with other fugitives, are accused of conspiring to engage in acts of terrorism, in violation of section 26 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.
Furthermore, they are charged with arming themselves with weapons, perpetrating the kidnapping, and carrying out the murder of the traditional ruler on December 17, 2022.
The Federal Government also alleges that the defendants failed to provide crucial information to security agencies that could have aided in the capture of additional kidnappers, contravening section 16 of the aforementioned Terrorism Act.
Upon hearing the charges in court, the defendants, before Justice Binta Nyako, entered pleas of not guilty.
Although the lead counsel for the defendants, Solomon Akume, SAN, attempted to file a bail application for his clients, the prosecution objected, citing a need to address certain matters.
Justice Nyako has scheduled June 20 for the hearing of applications and the commencement of the trial.
The judge ordered that the defendants be detained at Kuje prison until the determination of their respective bail applications.
Iheme, aged 52, hails from Amagwu Amanze Obowo Local Government Area in Imo State, while Madukwe, aged 42, is from Ndi-Uche Etiti Omuimo local government area, also in Imo State.
An excerpt from the charge reads: “During the police investigation of the offense of kidnapping and terrorism of Eze Basil Njoku, Nwokorie Chidiebere Ejike and Victor Nwajuiba Obumneke conspired and made false accusations with the intent to implicate Nwigwe Emeka Williams, an act in violation of section 125 of the Criminal Code Act.”
Additionally, it states: “In an attempt to mislead the police investigators in the case of the kidnapping and terrorism of Eze Basil Njoku, Nwokorie Chidiebere Ejike and Victor Nwajuiba Obumneke provided false information, knowing that it was untrue, thereby breaching section 125 of the Criminal Code Act 2004.”