The Ihiala High Court, sitting in Nnewi, Anambra State, has rejected a bail application by Chukwudi Odimegwu, a suspected kidnapper of Obiora Agbasimalo, the 2021 Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in the state.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Agbasimalo was abducted on 18 September 2021, less than a month before the governorship election in Anambra State, which was held on 6 November 2021.
Charles Soludo, a renowned banker and former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, would later win the election.
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Court denies bail
Like Mr Odimegwu, the second defendant, Maxwell Nwokolo, faces a two-count charge of conspiracy and kidnapping of Mr Agbasimalo.
The case was filed against them by the State Security Service (SSS).
The defendants have been remanded in prison custody.
At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, Mr Odimegwu, through his lawyer, Ikenna Obidiegwu, made an oral bail application.
But the judge, C.N. Mbonu-Nwenyi, rejected the oral application, according to a report by the Punch newspaper.
Justice Mbonu-Nwenyi instead directed the defence counsel to prepare a written application for bail and file the same at the Ihiala branch of the court for adjudication.
The defence counsel made the oral application shortly after the fourth prosecution witness, Chikezie Mbadugha, testified against Mr Odimegwu.
Witness testifies in court
When the matter was called up, the fourth prosecution witness, Mr Mbadugha, a farmer and an indigene of Umudim-Nnewi in Nnewi North Local Government Area of the state, mounted the witness box and gave an account of what he knew about the abduction.
The witness told the court that when he and other members of the victim’s political support group were about to set out for a campaign tour on the fateful day, 18 September 2021, Godwin Agbasimalo, otherwise known as ‘Oga ndi Oga,’ the elder brother and political sponsor of the kidnapped victim, called all the representatives and LP coordinators for a meeting at his home town, Ezinifite in Nnewi South Local Government Area.
He said after the meeting, Mr Godwin instructed everyone who had branded vehicles for the campaign to go to a filling station and fill their tanks with petrol in preparation for their campaign tour.
Mr Mbadugha said on arrival at the filling station, he saw the leader and coordinator of the campaign tour, whom he simply identified as ‘Nwammuo’ and the first defendant, (Odimegwu), who instructed that he and others should be given N4,000 each for petrol.
“The first defendant told us that High Chief Godwin Agbasimalo (Oga ndi Oga) had selected the people that would go to the campaign rally, which never happened before, but the first defendant never mentioned the names of the people that will go either,” he said.
Counsel to Mr Odimegwu, the first defendant, did not cross-examine the witness after making his testimony.
The counsel, however, said diligence was required in the matter, noting that developments during the hearing so far were suggestive of a “game plan to keep the defendants perpetually in detention.”
His comments infuriated the prosecution counsel, who countered him immediately.
The prosecution counsel, whom PREMIUM TIMES identified simply as Charity, told the defence counsel that she still has “credible” witnesses who will give their testimony over the matter as the hearing continues.
Initial drama, arguments
There were drama and altercations earlier when the prosecution counsel objected to the bail application because several prosecution witnesses were still lined up to testify against the first and second defendants with “concrete facts and evidence.”
The counsel to Mr Nwokolo, the second defendant, also pleaded that his client should be granted bail, but Justice Mbonu-Nwenyi asked him to file his motion at the Ihiala branch of the court.
The matter was adjourned until 26 April for continuation of trial.
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