A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital has sentenced a 30-year-old inmate of the state Correctional Centre, Odom Chekwube to three years imprisonment for escaping from lawful custody.
Chekwube had two years left to complete his initial sentence for stealing before he escaped from the prison premises during cleanup.
The Point gathered that while search for him went on, he got involved in another case of stealing but luck ran against him as he was apprehended, charged to court and remanded in awaiting trial in same Nigeria Correctional Center Abakaliki where he was recognised by the officials of the centre.
The management of prison also filed another case against him in court for escaping from lawful custody.
During the trial, the defendant pleaded guilty as charged and asked for leniency.
The prosecutor, Sabastine Alumona told the court that Odom Chekwube escaped from the prison on June 27, 2024 when he was brought out for a clean-up exercise alongside other inmates.
The charge against Chekwube read, “That you Odom Chekwube, male, on the 27th day of June, 2024 at Nigeria Correctional Centre Abakaliki in the Ebonyi Magisterial District did escape from lawful custody of Nigeria Correctional Centre Abakaliki and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 135 of the criminal code cap 33 volume 1 laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria 2009.”
“He was recaptured after he committed another offence which are burglary and stealing. He was arrested and taken to Correctional centre. Unfortunately for him, the prison warders recognised that he was the same person that had run away from their custody,” Alumona further explained to the court.
Delivering her judgement, the trial Chief Magistrate Ezinne Uguru convicted Chekwube and sentenced him to three years imprisonment.
