Pursuing the alleged harbouring of illicit drug traffickers by the Ebonyi South Senatorial Candidate, Hon Linus Abah Okorie has been remanded in the prison by Ebonyi State High Court, sitting in Abakaliki.
Okorie, the two-term member of the House of Representatives and the Labour Candidate for Ebonyi South Zone in the 2023 election, was remanded Tuesday by the court.
It could be recalled that Okorie was reportedly kidnapped early hour on Sunday, while driving out of his Abakaliki residence, and later, Monday morning brought to the Ebonyi Command Headquarters by members of the Ebubeagu Security outfit, where the police allegedly arrested him over his alleged involvement in illegal drug deals.
The Senatorial candidate was arraigned for alleged offences connected to false information, fraud, murder and felony.
In one of the three separate charges against Okorie, which dated differently, the police alleged the suspect, in liaison with others attempted to defraud the government of its property valued at N750,000.00, on August 2021, in the Abakaliki metropolis.
The Police Prosecutor, Ndukaku Chinagorom-Eze, told the court that the offences contradicted section 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, Cap. A66 Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2006 and section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, CAP A66 laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2006.
The charges read in parts: That you Linus Okorie 'm' and others at large, sometime in August 2021, at Lakota Farm Abakaliki within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: Advance Fee Fraud and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, CAP. A66 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2006.
"That you Linus Okorie 'm' and others now at large, on the same date, place and in the aforesaid Magistrate District did with intent to defraud, obtain National Identity Card Registration Machine valued Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N750,000.00), property of the Federal Government of Nigeria, through a medium of contract induced by false pretence and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 1 (3) of Advance Fee Fraud Act, CAP A66 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2006."
However, the Leading Counsel to Okorie, Barr Nomeh Chikaodiri, pleaded with the Magistrate of the Court to grant the suspect bail, because as a senior citizen, he would not jump bail.
But the Prosecuting Counsel, ASP Chinagorom-Eze, objected to the bail application, saying the suspect might thwart the court processes, because of his position in the society.
The Magistrate, Justice Ifeoma Ogodo, remanded the suspect and directed that the matter be transferred to the Federal High Court Abakaliki, for competent adjudication and trial.
The matter was adjourned till the November 4, 2022, report of compliance.
Reacting, the suspect's Lead Counsel, Barr Chikaodiri, said Tuesday's Court decision was abuse and an affront to judicial proceedings.
"We have details of the charges already and we opposed the reading of the charges before the court because in our humble view it constitutes an abuse of court processes.
"There is a judgement of a Federal High Court by Justice Ekwo that restrained the Nigeria Police and the Ebonyi State Government from arresting Hon. Linus Okorie and that judgement are still subsisting on the same subject matter.
"We raised an objection, which was overruled. But we will test it, we have seen it all and, by the grace of God, the intendment of the charges is to keep him behind the bars. That's the intendment and our client is a leading senatorial candidate in Ebonyi South and the essence of all this is to weaken him and his supporters.
"But at the end of the day, the law will take its course. The law is for everybody and no one is above the law. If there is a court judgement directing the parties to maintain the status quo, the parties are under obligation to respect and obey that judgement and anyone not at peace with the court judgement, should go to the Court of Appeal and not resort to self-help. What the state government is doing now is resorting to self-help.
"We will either approach the Court of Appeal which earlier delivered judgement on the matter or think of other options. This is because what happened today is an abuse and an affront to judicial proceedings," he said.
