– DSS official tells court
By Chuks Eke
An official of the Department of State Services, DSS, H.A Nwagwu, has disclosed that the use of tracking technology device played a pivotal role in the arrest of one of the suspected kidnappers of Obiora Agbasimalo, governorship candidate of the Labour Party, LP in the 2021 Anambra State governorship election who is still missing.
Testifying as 7th Prosecution Witness (PW7) before Justice C.N Mbonu-Nwenyi of Anambra State High Court sitting at Nnewi at the resumed hearing of conspiracy and kidnap charge preferred against two accused persons, Chukwudi Odumegwu and Maxwell Nwokolo, Nwagwu insisted that without the tracking technology, the accused persons now standing trial would not have been detected, arrested and charged for prosecution.
He told the court that DSS had from the onset, intensified efforts after it was notified of the kidnap by interviewing the principal suspects and witnesses, including Mrs. Eucharia Agbasimalo, wife of the victim.
According to him, the efforts and interventions of the DSS helped to identify and track down key figures in the alleged kidnap, including Chukwudi Odimegwu, the first defendant and Maxwell Nwokolo, the second defendant.
While testifying before the court, Nwagwu, a Principal Security Intelligent Officer at the DSS, also revealed that investigations began in April 2022, and led to the arrest of Nwokolo somewhere around Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos State, which in turn led to the capture of Odimegwu, the other suspect.
The LP candidate, Agbasimalo, had kidnapped on September 18, 2021, at Lilu community in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, while going for a political function and his whereabouts has remained unknown till date.
In the Suit No.HIH/15C/22, the accused persons, Odimegwu who was a driver to the victim and Nwokolo, a member of the victim’s campaign organization, are currently standing trial for alleged conspiracy and kidnap of Agbasimalo on September 18, 2021 at Lilu in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The DSS was the first to arraign the accused persons before a Magistrate court sitting at Awka, the state capital in 2022, shortly after their arrests in Charge No. MAW/506/2022 on a two-count charge of conspiracy and kidnapping.
The offences, the prosecution stated, were contrary to Sections 495 (1) of the Criminal Code, Cap. 36, Vol. II, Revised Laws of Anambra state of Nigeria, 1991 and 315 (2) (a) (b) (c) of the Criminal Code (Amended) Law of Anambra state of Nigeria, 2009.
The Magistrate Court had while remanding them in the prison custody, also ordered the police to transfer the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions, for legal advice.
On receiving the case file, the DPP, in turn, came up with the same two-count charge of conspiracy and kidnapping.
In the charge prepared by N.J. Nwankwo Esq., the DPP alleged that while armed with guns and other offensive weapons, the accused persons kidnapped Agbasimalo against his will and thereafter demanded for a ransom of N1 million, N5 million and another N1 million totaling N7 million from his family for his release and yet after receiving the ransom, failed to release him till date.
However, during his testimony before the judge, Nwagwu, said, “Around April 2022, there was a report of the kidnap of the LP governorship candidate at our office, who was allegedly kidnapped on September 18, 2021”.
“So, we had to invite the wife of the victim, Eucharia Agbasimalo for an interview. We also invited one Godwin Agbasimalo also known as ‘Oga Ndi Oga’, an elder brother to the kidnapped victim and some other persons, including the running mate to the victim, for questioning”.
“We interviewed Maxwell Nwokolo, now the second accused person and he disclosed to us that he escaped from the camp where the LP candidate was being held. That it was ‘Oga Ndi Oga’, Agbasimalo’s elder brother that paid for his transportation to Lagos and he got to Lagos and stayed at Amuwo Odofin”.
“Although, before then, we had tracked him through technology device to somewhere in Amuwo Odofin in Lagos, where he was arrested and brought back to Anambra state”.
“What we did on our own part was that during our investigations, we discovered from the data record and analysis of the victim’s driver and first defendant, Chukwudi Odimegwu’s mobile phone, it was observed that the incident took place between 2pm and 3pm that fateful day around Lilu in Ihiala council areas”.
“We also noticed that Odimegwu was in the possession of iPhone 8 as at the period of the incident and was receiving signals from Orlu axis of Imo State. We also noticed that he has been within that vicinity where kidnap cases took place about seven times before that particular incident, which is an indication that he is not new to the place”.
“Analysis of Obiora’s mobile phone as of then, Nwagwu continued, also showed that he was also receiving signals from that same axis and that was where his phone terminated.”
The DSS officer who mounted the witness box at about 10:20am on Friday, finished his testimony at about 1:48pm and was rigorously cross-examined by their legal counsels Francis Effiok and Ikenna Obidiegwu.
After the cross-examination, the trial judge, Justice Mbonu-Nwenyi adjourned the matter to February 21, 2025 for further hearing.
