There was a commotion on Monday at the Magistrate Court in Owerri, Imo State capital as Darlington Ibekwe, one of the 14 associates of the Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District in the National Assembly slumped while being arraigned for breaking into the sealed estate of the former governor.
The arraigned were accused of conspiring among themselves to disobey a lawful order issued by the state by removing the seal of the state government and entering into the sealed premises of Royal Spring Palm Hotel and Apartments belonging to Okorocha.
Those arraigned include Ibekwe, Obasi Goodluck, Nwaiwu Ndubuisi, Median Ijeoma, Obor Victor, Ucheka Claudin, Sunday Chisom and Ekpendu Peace.
Others are Nev F. Raphael, Basil Mba, Steve Asimobi, Ebere Nwokeji, Eberendu Chimechifulam and Olu Chizoba, The Nation reported.
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Omo-Osagie M. A., the Police prosecutor, informed the court that former appointees of the senator, Lasbery Okaforanyanwu, Ijeoma Igboanusi and his sons-in-law, Uche Nwosu and Dr Uzoma Anwuka, were at large.
While Ibekwe was also accused of publishing a recorded defamatory matter on social media with the intent to injure the reputation of the state government and the person of Governor Hope Uzodimma by exposing to hatred, contempt, ridicule and damage his reputation, Olu Chizoba was charged with unlawful possession of double-barrel pump action gun without a license.
After a six-count charge was read to the suspects, council to the defendants, Eddy Onyema, sought their bail, assuring that they would return to the court to take their trial.
Onyema noted that none of the charges against the defendants was a capital offence, said, “worst, some of them are a felony. That’s why we’re seeking their bail”.
When the magistrate, B. U. Adikaibe, returned to the courtroom for her ruling, a suspect, Ibekwe, slumped.
He was, however, revived by his fellow suspects, who pleaded for water with which he was revived.
After the incident, the court had without delay given its ruling by granting all 14 accused person bail with N5 million each totalling N70 million, a condition the court said must be fulfilled before they would regain their freedom.
