A Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Onitsha, Anambra State, has granted bail with the sum of five hundred thousand naira (500,000) to the 54-year old widow and mother of a girl child; who is currently facing trial for allegedly conspiring with others to break into a building with intent to commit felony, among other 5-count charges.
Angel Network News (ANN) gathered that
with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) as complainant, Mrs Nwagbo, alongside her brother-in-law, Michael Nwagbo, aged 45, and others now at large are accused of conspiring among themselves sometime in 2020 at Onitsha, within Onitsha Magisterial District, to break into the said building with intent to commit felony, offence punishable under section 495(b) of the Criminal Code Law, CAP 36 Revised Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria 1991.
Among other charges brought against the defendants are that they criminally and unlawfully broke into the fence housing Plot No 288 Trans-Nkisi Layout Onitsha, said to be property of one Mr Obiora Ezeakabekwe, and chased away his workers who were working on the land, and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 381 of the Criminal Code Law CAP 36 Revised Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria 1991.
The defendants are also accused of giving false information to the police by denying knowledge of the existence of the said plot of land, as well as their involvernent in any transaction relating to the land, offence punishable under section 154(1) of the Criminal Gode Law, CAP 36 Revised Laws of Anambra State 1991.
Speaking to newsmen after the court presided over by Justice U.B Okoye granted the defendants bail and adjourned the case to 22nd October for continuation of trial, an Owerri-based lawyer and leader of the defense team, Sylvia Iwejor, said their widow client was arrested and detained on trumped-up charges, adding that the bail conditions for her and co-defendant were very severe.
On her part, the Convener of Ônurube, an NGO based in the 5 Southeast states of Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, and with special focus on gender-based violence, Ezihe, explained that without frantic search at police facilities that led to her being found in police custody in Imo, Mrs Nwagbo would have been brought to the Onitsha court in kangaroo style for continued detention.
While G.T Nev appeared for the complainant, IGP, Donald Nwodom, Faith Obisike, Ikechukwu Chuke; from National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, and Mmesoma Oli; from International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, appeared for the defendants.
