Uzodinma Vs Okorocha: Mild drama in Court as 14 ex-governors loyalists granted N70m bail

At the Owerri Magistrate Court, Imo State, there was a mild drama on Monday as one of the 14 defendants, Darlington Ibekwe, arraigned for breaking into the sealed estate of the former state governor, Rochas Okorocha, slumped inside the courtroom.

Ibekwe and 13 other Senator Okorocha loyalists were involved in a plot to disobey a lawful order given by the state by removing the state government seal and breaching the sealed premises of the Okorocha Royal Spring Palm Hotel and Apartments.

Prosecutor for the Police, Omo-Osagie M. A. informed the court that the former appointees of Okorocha, Lasbery Okaforanyanwu, Ijeoma Igboanusi, and his sons-in-law, Uche Nwosu, and Dr. Uzoma Anwuka, were at large.

While Ibekwe was also accused of publishing defamatory content on social media in order to damage the image of the state government and the person of Governor Hope Uzodimma by exposing his reputation to hate, contempt, ridicule, Olu Chizoba was accused of unlawful possession of a double-barrel pump-action gun. without license.

Eddy Onyema, the council to the defendants, demanded their bail after a six-count indictment was read to the suspects, promising that they would return to the court to take up their trial.

“Onyema noted that none of the charges against the accused were a capital offense, saying,  “worst, some of them is a felony. That’s why we’re seeking for their bail”.

When the magistrate, B. U. Adikaibe, returned to the courtroom for her ruling, a suspect, Ibekwe, slumped.

He was, however, revived by his fellow suspects, who pleaded for water with which he was revived.

After the mild drama, the court had without delay given its ruling by granting all 14 accused person bail with N5 million each totaling N70 million, a condition the court said must be fulfilled before they would regain their freedom.

Obasi Goodluck, Nwaiwu Ndubuisi, Median Ijeoma, Obor Victor, Ucheka Claudin, Sunday Chisom, and Ekpendu Peace are among those arraigned with Ibekwe.

Others were Nev F. Raphael, Basil Mba, Steve Asimobi, Ebere Nwokeji, Eberendu Chimechifulam, and Olu Chizoba.