By Chuks Eke
Mrs. Eucharia Agbasimalo, wife of Chief Obiorah Agbasimalo, the kidnapped governorship candidate of the Labour Party, LP in the November 2021 Anambra state gubernatorial election has told an Ihiala High Court sitting at Nnewi that she has a concrete evidence to prove that the two defendants currently standing trial before the court have hands in her husband’s abduction.
Testifying before the court presided over by Justice C. N. Mbonu-Nwenyi during a cross-examination by B. I. Nkememena, counsel to one of the defendants in continuation of the trial of Chukwudi Odimegwu and Maxwell Nwokolo and others at large, over their alleged involvement in her husband’s kidnap on September 18, 2021, while on a campaign tour, Eucharia contended that from her personal conversation with Nwokolo to his statement to the police and how he collected a total sum of N5.4 million as ransom, she was convinced that Nwokolo and his accomplice had hands in the kidnap saga
She further contended that Nwokolo’s advice to her family to play down the police reports, the failure of the kidnappers to release her abducted husband up till date, despite Nwokolo’s assurance that he would be released once our family played down the police report and at the same time cough out a whooping sum of N5.4 million, are enough evidence to prove that Nwokolo and his cohorts are culpable in the abduction saga.
Besides, she stated that in his statement to the police, Nwokolo wrote that his Investigating Police Officer, IPO told him that the first defendant, Chukwudi Odimegwu disclosed that the running mate to the abducted Obiorah Agbasimalo, Chinedu Nuokwe paid N8 million to the police for Odimegwu’s bail Bond and also hired a lawyer to secure his bail from the police custody.
Further testifying, Mrs. Agbasimalo declared that Maxwell himself called her after a meeting held at the Palace of the traditional ruler of Ezinifite Nnewi South on how to secure the release of her husband from the kidnappers camp, adding that he was at the meeting with Blackstone, one of the suspected kidnappers still at large and some others from the kidnappers camp where her husband was being kept.
“He assured me that my husband will not only be taken good care of but also will come back home alife once the abducted Obiorah governorship campaign sponsor, Chief Godwin Agbasimalo Oga Ndi Oga who is my husband’s elder brother and my.family members comply with the kidnappers demands”.
“It was at that same meeting held at Igwe’s palace that the second defendant, Maxwell Nwokolo was given an initial sum of N2.5 million. Although, I did not see when Nwokolo collected the money from Oga Ndi Oga, my husband’s sponsor and elder brother, it was Oga Ndi Oga himself that informed me that he had given the money to Nwokolo as he demanded, Nwokolo himself confirmed to me that he had received the cash”.
“Maxwell Nwokolo told me this on phone when men of the Intelligence Response Team, IRT from Abuja arrested Blackstone who is now at large and Maxwell confirmed before me, the police and every other person present at the meeting that he received the money”.
“I did not witness the giving and receiving of another N400,000 to Maxwell but the Ezinifite traditional ruler who gave him the money told me on phone and I also confirmed it from Maxwell himself”.
“IÂ did not know Maswell Bank Account details where the second N2.5 million ransom was paid into but my husband’s sponsor. and elder brother, Godwin Agbasimalo ,(Oga Ndi Oga) knew his Account details and he included it in his statement to the Department of State Services, DSS. So, I did not witness the payments but Oga Ndi Oga told me and Maxwell who was also the receipent equally told me).
After listening to her evidence,, the presiding Judge, Justice Mbonu-Nwenyi adjourned further hearing to Friday, February. 16 this year for the next prosecution witness to mount the witness box.
