By Agnes Igwe, Abakaliki
Suspected hoodlums in Ebonyi have allegedly attacked and killed a young court bailiff, Victor Okeh, who had attempted to execute a judgment at number 9, New Market Road, Abakaliki, the state capital.
Okeh, who was in his early 30s and a native of Ezzama in Ezza South Local Government Area of the state, had gone to carry out a judgment of the court when the incident occurred.
The deceased bailiff, who was previously working under Ezzamgbo jurisdiction, was recently posted to Abakaliki and had reported for work for the first time on August 7, 2019, when some suspected hoodlums attacked him and other staff of the court with whom he had gone to the area to execute an earlier judgment given by the court in a suit involving a property located in the area.
Our correspondent in Abakaliki gathered that the bailiff had on that same day gone with his colleagues to new market road for the execution of the court judgment, but they were attacked by some unidentified people.
Sources, who pleaded anonymity for security reasons, told our correspondent that Okeh and his team of bailiffs got to the execution site and introduced themselves in a bid to take over the property as directed by the court order. But an unidentified lady began to record them on video, an action which they objected to.
In an attempt to stop the lady and make her delete the video recording, a fracas ensued.
It was gathered that in the ensuing melee, Okeh was allegedly hit on the chest and he immediately began to vomit blood, and fainted after some minutes. He was then rushed to the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, where he was revived and discharged after some days.
The court bailiff, however, died on Saturday, August 10, allegedly due to the effects of the previous attacks by the suspected hoodlums at the execution site of the court judgment.
An unverified report has it that the late bailiff, who got married in November 2018 and had one child, was allegedly discharged upon his request against medical advice, claiming that he was scared by the incessant deaths recorded throughout the duration of his admission in the hospital.
Meanwhile, as at the time of filing this report, the suspects arrested over the incident had yet to be arraigned in court.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Loveth Odah, told our correspondent on the phone that the report of the incident had yet to get to her office.
Odah, a deputy superintendent of police, however, promised to get back to us after she had enquired from the officer in charge of Ekeaba divisional office.
The police eventually denied any knowledge of the incident.
Efforts to speak with the late bailiff’s widow or any of his other close relatives on the incident were not successful.
