Eight
persons who allegedly assaulted operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC and prevented them from carrying out their lawful duties have
been remanded in prison custody. Justice Lambo Akande of the Federal High
Court, Port Harcourt on Friday November 16, 2012, ordered the accused persons
remanded in prison custody till November 19, 2012 when their bail application
will be determined.
The
accused persons: Frank Chibuzo Ozuorah, Jonah Essien, Charles Ebri, Ifeoma
Eleazo, Nkem Ekeke, Prince Ebubechi James, Innocent Nwogwugwu and Okechukwu
Ijeoma were arraigned on a five count charge of felony, willful obstruction of
duty, resistance, unlawful detention and assault.
One
of the charges reads: “That you, Frank Chibuzo Ozuorah, Jonah Essien, Charles
Ebri, Ifeoma Eleazo, Nkem Ekeke, Prince Ebubechi James, Innocent Nwogwugwu,
Okechukwu Ijeoma and others at large, on 14th November, 2012 at your
company’s premises (Chibiak Steel Link Limited) KM 17, Port Harcourt – Aba
Express Way, Obio-Akpor L.G.A. Port Harcourt, Rivers State, within the jurisdiction
of this Honourable Court, willfully obstructed Dare Folarin, Babale Gwalo,
Charles Iferenta, Placidus Adi and Musa Owoma, all officers of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission in the course of the exercise of their official
duty and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 38(2)(a) of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004 and
punishable under section 38(2)(b) of the same Act.
The
eight accused persons pleaded not guilty to the five count charge preferred
against them.
Prosecution
counsel, Ifeanyi Agwu then prayed the court for a date for commencement
of trial. But Chris Okafor, who appeared for six of the accused persons,
presented an oral application for bail for his clients. He argued that the
offences which the accused persons are alleged to have committed are bail able.
Enweluzo
C. I. and O. G. Onwuchuruba, counsel to 4th and 5th
accused respectively, adopted the submission of Okafor.
It
will be recalled that four Operatives from the Port Harcourt zonal office of
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, were on November 14, 2012,
attacked within the premises of Chibiak Steel Link Limited by the Managing
Director of the company, Mr. Frank Chibuzo Izuorah and seven of his staff.
The
Operatives, Dare Folarin, Babale Gwalo, Charles Iferenta and Adie Placidus
along with three mobile policemen had gone to the company to deliver an
invitation letter to Izuorah who is wanted in respect of a case of obtaining
under false pretence. The Commission had received a petition dated October 5th,
2012, wherein the petitioner alleged that a certain Demiar Izuogu who posed as
a car dealer with JAMIL MOTORS, defrauded him and two others to the tune of
N3.54million under the guise of helping him acquire an Audi A6 car, a Toyota
Highlander SUV and a Toyota Camry car.
On
arrival at the company, the operatives identified themselves and stated their
mission but were refused entry by a security man who claimed that the managing
director was unavailable. But the team’s insistence on going in to verify the
claim, forced the managing director to come out and he, along with his staff,
descended on the operatives, inflicted bodily injuries on them and dispossessed
them of valuables. They proceeded to hold the operatives hostage, with the help
of thugs who arrived the scene in two Hiace buses at the behest of Izuorah.
It
took the intervention of a reinforcement of mobile policemen from the State
Police Command to free the EFCC operatives from the clutches of Izuorah.
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