Court Rejects Oral Bail Application For Suspected Kidnappers Of Agbasimalo, Missing Anambra LP Guber Candidate

By Chuks Eke*

An Ihiala High Court sitting in Nnewi, Anambra state, presided over by. Justice C.N. Mbonu-Nwenyi has rejected an oral bail application brought before it by Ikenna Obidiegwu Esq, counsel to Chukwudi Odimegwu the first accused person currently standing trial in connection with the abduction of Chief Obiorah Agbasimalo, the governorship candidate of Labor Party in the 2021 Anambra state gubernatorial election.

The court rather directed the defence counsel to prepare a written application for bail and file same at Ihiala High Court for adjudication.

The development followed an oral application brought by Obidiegwu shortly after the fourth Prosecution Witness, PW4, Chikezie Mbadugha testified against Odimegwu, the first accused person in the kidnap saga.

In the oral application, Obidiegwu Esq contended that his observation so far in the trial of the matter showed that there are game plans to perpetually keep the defendants in prison custody till the Kingdom comes.

The prosecution counsel objected to the bail application on the ground that several prosecution witnesses were still lined up to testify against the accused persons with concrete facts.

In Charge No: HIH/15C/22 between the State V. Chukwudi Jude Odimegwu and Maxwell Chukwudi Nwokolo, the duo and others still at large are facing two count charges of conspiracy and kidnap of Agbasimalo on the above states date and venue and were remanded in the prison custody.

When the case was called up, the 4th prosecution witness, PW4, Chikezie .l. Mbadugha, a farmer and a native of Umudim-Nnewi in Nnewi North LGA, mounted the witness box and gave a detailed account of what he knew about the matter.

Mbadugha who specifically testified against the 1st defendant Chukwudi Jude Odimegwu disclosed that on the fateful day,  September 18th 2021, High Chief Godwin Agbasimalo (Oga ndi Oga), elder brother to the kidnapped victim and sponsor of the campaign train, called the representatives and party Coordinators for a meeting at his home town, Ezinifte in Nnewi South LGA.

Mbadugha further disclosed that after the meeting, Oga Ndi Oga instructed everyone who had branded vehicles for campaigns to go to a service station and fill their tanks with petrol in preparation for their campaign tour.

He said that on reaching the filling station, he saw the Leader and Coordinator whom he simply identified as Nwammuo and the 1st defendant Chukwudi Jude Odimegwu who instructed that he and others should be given N4,000 each for petrol.

“The first defendant said that High Chief Godwin Agbasimalo (Oga ndi Oga) had selected the people he would go to campaign with, which never happened before, and Chukwudi Jude Odimegwu, the first defendant, never mentioned the name of the people that will go either,”

After testifying before the court, Mbadugha was not cross-examined by the defence counsel as Justice Mbonu Nwenyi discharged him from the witness box and adjourned the matter to Friday, April 26 this year for PW5 to testify.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after the case was adjourned, a relation of the kidnapped victim who pleaded anonymity observed that the accused persons are being given some VIP treatment on the ground that the accused persons usually come to court dressed gorgeously as against the normal dressed prison regalia, adding that they also come to court in a luxury vehicle instead of Black Maria.