Ebonyi court remands four suspects over murder of herbalist

Following the alleged killing of a 57-year-old herbalist, Mr Justice Kenneth, an Ebonyi State Magistrates’ Court sitting in Abakaliki, on Monday, remanded four suspects in a correctional facility.

It was gathered that the accused persons, Kelechi Ede, 21; Ezekiel Agom, 23; Oforbuike Nwokpuru, 22; and Cletus Ogbonna, 27, had allegedly gone to the victim’s house around 9pm and pretended to want to buy drugs that could cure infections and allegedly killed him in the process.

The first accused person, Ede, said to be a close family friend of the victim, allegedly stole the sum of N150,000 from Kenneth’s house and promised to return it at a later date.

Ede was said to have begged Kenneth not to report the incident to the police and promised to return the money.

In his confessional statement, Ede reportedly stated, “I committed the crime. I’m a very close friend to Kenneth’s family. I was in his house in the night of April 10, 2020, and I stole his N150,000. I told him I was going to return the money, but I went to visit my friend at the Agbaja community in the Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

“At the Agbaja community, I met a friend, who I shared my experience with. He told me he would handle the man. And later he invited one of his friends and it was then that we agreed that we would kill Kenneth. We were four, who went to Kenneth’s house in the night and killed him with a dagger and an axe.”

The suspects allegedly committed the offence at Oferekpe Agbaja in the Izzi Local Government Area of the state on April 13, 2020.

They were arraigned on two counts of murder and felony.

The police prosecutor, Mr Alumona Sebastine, told the court that the offences were punishable under sections 324 and 319 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 33, Vol. 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.

The charges read, “That you Kelechi Ede, Ezekiel Agom, Oforbuike Nwokpuru and Cletus Ogbonna, on April 13, 2020, at Oferekpe Agbaja under the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit; murder, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 324 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 33, Vol. 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.

“That you, Kelechi Ede, Ezekiel Agom, Oforbuike Nwokpuru and Cletus Ogbonna, on the same date, place and at the aforementioned magisterial district, did kill one Justice Kenneth, thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 319 (1) of the Criminal Code, Cap. 33, Vol. 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.”

The accused persons were not represented in court and there was no bail application filed on their behalf.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Nnenna Onuoha, directed that they should be remanded in the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Abakaliki, while their case file should be transferred to the Director of Public Prosecutions for necessary legal action.

She adjourned the matter till May 22, 2020, for the report of compliance.