BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
A Magistrate’s court, sitting in Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi State, has sentenced a 31-year-old heir apparent of Okaria Kingdom, in Ebonyi Local Government Area of the state, Maduabuchi Akamalo, to six months imprisonment for alleged trespass, assault and stealing.
The Prince in a four count-charge suit, marked “MAB/419c/2023”, was found guilty of forcing himself into a piece of land belonging to his father’s subjects identified as Nwekwa’s family, stealing and also cutting one of the fingers of one Chidi Nwekwa.
Akamalo was convicted for using a machete to cut Chidi’s right finger and stealing some of his family’s valuables on June 10, 2023, at Okaria Village of the Ebonyi council.
The charge read, “That you Maduabuchi Akamalo, aged 31 and one other now at large on the 10th day of June 2023, at Okaria Village Abakaliki, in Abakaliki magisterial district, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit assault occasioning harm and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 516A(a) of the Criminal Code Cap 33, Volume 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria 2009.
“That you did willfully and unlawfully use matchet to cut one Mr Nwekwa Chidi at his right finger, which caused him harm and thereby committed offence punishable under Section 335 of the Criminal Code Cap 33 Volume 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria 2009.
“That you Maduabuchi Akamalo, aged 31, and one other, now at large, on same date and place, in the aforementioned magisterial district, did forcibly enter the land, which is in actual peaceful possession of Mr Sunday Nwekwa, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 81 of the Criminal Code Cap 33 Volume 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria 2009.
“That you did steal one hoe, valued Eight Thousand Naira (N8,000.00), one shirt valued Three Thousand Naira (N3,000.00), one trouser valued Four Thousand Naira (N4000.00) and physical cash of Ten Thousand Naira (N10,000.00), properties of one Mr Chidi Nwekwa and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 390(4)(a) of the Criminal Code Cap 33 Volume 1 Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria 2009.”
Delivering the judgement recently, Magistrate Ngozi Ngele sentenced the convict to six months imprisonment with an option of N50,000.00 fine.
