From: Precious Werner Ahiakwo in Port Harcourt
Magistrate court 1, sitting in the Port Harcourt magisterial District has on Wednesday October 17, 2012, ordered that Alhaji Hassan Welewa,59, the traditional ruler of Omuokiri-Aluu, in Ikwerre Local Government Area and 12 others be remanded in prison custody pending the release of legal advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), in the ministry of justice in Rivers State.
Welewa and the other accused persons, Lawal Segun, 28, Ex-Sgt Lucky Orji, 43, Cynthia Chinwo, 24, George Nwadei, 20, Ekpe Daniel, 30, Okoghiroh Endurance,24, Gabriel Oche, 33, Ozioma Abajio, 23, Endurance edet, 27, Ikechukwu Louis Amadi alias Kapoon, 32, David Chinasa Ogbada, 30 and Chigozie Evans Samuel, 22, were arraigned on a five count charge of conspiracy and murder of Ugonna Obuzor, Toku Lloyd, Tekena Elkanah and Chidiaka Biringa by lynching and burning them to death contrary to sections 324 and 319 of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria, 1999. Most of the accused persons were in tears except for one Cynthia Chinwo who was identified as the lady that brought the fuel used to roast the victims to ashes.
As 247ureports.com gathered, Chief Magistrate Emmanuel Woke, the trial magistrate in charge of proceedings, after listening to the charges brought against the accused persons, ordered that they be remanded in custody on grounds that his court lacked jurisdiction on the matter. He however reminded them of the right to approach a high court for their bail application and adjourned the matter to December 20, 2012 for mention.
An uneasy drama ensued during the arraignment of the accused persons between the police and the judiciary staff as they were barred from entering or going out of their offices by the men in police uniform till the arraignment was over.
The drama started when the police blocked the entrance leading to the court room upstairs. Some of the court staffs were seen arguing with the ferocious looking policemen that flooded the court arena fully armed. When approached, one of the policemen simply replied that they were merely carrying out an order from above.
It took the intervention of the Public Relations Officer of the Judiciary Staff Union, Kiele Cletus before they were allowed to gain entrance to their various offices upon presentation of their identity cards. The staff and other persons were however barred from witnessing the proceedings as the court room was heavily barbed by armed policemen.
Some of the suspects had on Tuesday, told 247ureports.com that the police participated in the torture and eventual death of the victims. Two of them, Ikechukwu Amadi alias Kapoon and David Ogbada, particularly pointed out in their separate statements to the press that policemen were witnesses to the crime. They however noted that while one of the policemen tried to rescue the victims from the crowd, the other one joined in the beating till their eventual death. The good police man had to leave the scene of the crime after warning the angry mob of the consequences of their action.
