5 suspected kidnappers granted bail in Anambra

ONITSHA—An Otuocha High Court in Anambra State, presided over by Justice D.O.C. Amaechina has granted bail to five accused persons charged with the kidnapping of four persons from Uruebo village, Nkwelle-Ezunaka in Oyi Local Government Area of the state. The accused persons, Obinna Oduche, Vincent Anyakora, Okezie Morah, Chukwuebuka Okoye and Paschal Nweke had been remanded in Onitsha prisons custody since April 1, 2016, by an Nteje Chief Magistrate court presided over by Mr. Chukwuma Ibemesi following their arrests on March 29, by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Awkuzu. In a 14-count charge preferred against them by the police prosecution, the accused persons were alleged to have on March 20, 2016 at a bush within the village, kidnapped the complainants, Godwin Okoye, Izunna Edogwugwu, Francis Onwuzulike and Bartholomew Obimma, elder brother to Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obimma (a.k.a. Ebube Muonso), a prominent Catholic priest in Anambra State and allegedly collected N160,000, N3,700, N66,000 and N56,000 from each of the victims as  ransom before releasing them. Following their remand in the prison custody by the Chief Magistrate Court and transfer of the case file to the State Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, their legal counsel, Sylvester Ezeokenwa, Humphrey Udechukwu and Sylvester Odili, headed to Otuocha High court presided over by Justice Amaechina and filed an application for their bail. After hearing the application of the defence counsel, Justice Amaechina granted them bail on the ground that the defence counsel had given an assurance that the suspects would not jump bail and neither would they as the defence counsel interfere with the police investigations