Court remands two suspected killers of Jumia sales agent in prison custody

A Port Harcourt Chief Magistrate on Monday remanded two out of the three suspected killers of a Jumia sales representative, late Eleje Chukwuma, in the Port Harcourt maximum prison pending the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, on the matter.

The suspected killers are Sodienye Mbatumukeke, Excell Divine Naabe, and Joy Eluwa. The first two suspects were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Amadi O. Amadi-Nna, on a three count charge, with number, PMC/697C/2017, by Inspector Jonas Rufus when the matter was mentioned in the court.

The suspects were alleged to have killed the victim on the March 25, this year, when the deceased went to the house of the suspects to deliver some phones ordered by them (suspects) from the Jumia online service.

The charge sheet read: “That you Sodienye Mbatumukeke ‘m’ on the 25th day of March, 2017 at No 1 Ada-Ede street, Shell Location Mgbuoba, Port Harcourt in the Port Harcourt Magisterial District did carry offensive weapon, mortar pestle to hit on the head of Ejele Chukwuma ‘m’ and robbed him of one Infinix Note 3 handset valued sixty seven thousand naira (67,000.00), one IM-10 Desktop GSM phone dual sim valued nine thousand five hundred naira (9,500.00) and one Gionee M6 phone valued one hundred and five thousand naira (N105,000.00) total value one hundred and eighty one thousand naira (N181,000.00), property of Jumia Online Shopping Company and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 1(2)(a) of the Robbery and firearms (Special Provision) Act Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

“That you Sodienye Mbatumukeke ‘m’ and Excell Divine Naabe ‘m’ on the same date and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: murder and hereby committed an offence punishable under section 324 of the Criminal Code Cap 37 Vol II Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria 1999.

“That you Sodienye Mbatumukeke ‘m’ and Excell Divine Naabe ‘m’ on the same date and place in the aforesaid Magisterial District did murder one Eleje Chukwuma ‘m’ by hitting him on the head with a mortar pestle and subsequently suffocated him by covering his head with a polythene waste nylon bag before tying him with a cable wire which caused his death and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Cap 37 Vol II Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria 1999,” the count read.

The presiding Chief Magistrate, Amadi O. Amadi-Nna, when the case was mentioned, said that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter due to the gravity of offence and adjourned the matter sine die in order to send the case file to the DPP for advice.

There was no defense counsel for the accused persons while the third accused person, Joy Eluwa (female) failed to appear in court.