BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has discharged and acquitted seven young men accused of stealing goats.
The defendants, namely Obinna Uzor, aged 29; Nwalobu Chikaodili, 24; Nwele Ifeanyi, 23; Nworie Igboji, 23; Nnamdi Imeze, 22; Nwigboji Ogbonna, 22; Omege Lazarus, 30; and others now at large, were said to have armed themselves with AK-47 rifle, G3 rifle and Beretta pistol to steal two goats.
Police prosecutor, Inspector Sani Bala, informed the court that the defendants allegedly committed the offence on August 11, at Inyimagu Ikwo Local Government Area of the state.
On September 8, when the men were arraigned in court, he alleged that the suspects armed themselves with guns, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons and robbed one Sunday Nwanchor of two goats valued N60, 000.
The charge reads that “You (accused persons) and others now at large on August 11, at Inyimagu Ikwo, did arm yourselves with guns, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons and robbed one Sunday Nwanchor of his two goats valued N60, 000.
“You (defendants) and others now at large, on the same date and place, did have in your possession or under your control one AK 47 rifle with one round of 7.62 ( Special ) live ammunition, one G3 rifle with two rounds of 7.62 caliber live ammunition and one Beretta pistol without a licence, which you cannot give satisfactory account of how you came by it, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 3(1) of the Robbery and Firearm ( Special provision) Act Cap R.11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 as applicable in Ebonyi State.”
Magistrate Linda Ogodo had, upon their arraignment, ordered that the seven defendants be remanded at the Abakaliki Correctional Centre.
When the matter was mentioned recently, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Ebonyi State, Cletus Ofoke, absolved the seven young men of the allegations.
Ofoke, through a letter sent to the court, stated that there was no sufficient evidence to sustain the charges of conspiracy, armed robbery and unlawful possession of firearms slammed against them.
Consequently, the Magistrate discharged and acquitted the defendants for lack of sufficient evidence.
The defense counsel, Ejem Nwokposi, lauded the Attorney General and the court for seeing reasons to believe that the allegations leveled against the seven defendants were “Utopian and smokes screen” to witch-hunt the defendants and tarnish their images.
