An  Asaba Chief Magistrate
Court,  last  Wednesday ordered that the four men who allegedly attempted to murder a serving commissioner in Delta State, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, be remanded in prison.
The accused persons Matthew Etuwewe, 34, Ughelli Badere, 33, Kelvin Egoshi, 32, and Henry Emogwua, 39 are facing two-count charge for conspiracy and attempted murder.
The prosecutor, Mr Bassey Eko, had told the court that the accused persons and others now at large, on Sept. 7, attempted to unlawfully kill Muoboghare by stabbing him with a dagger.
Eko said that the accused attempted to kill the Commissioner for Basic and Primary Education, at the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Secretariat in Asaba.
He also told the court that the accused persons and others now at large, on the same day and place, conspired among themselves to commit the offence.
The prosecutor said that the offences were punishable under sections 320 and 324 of the Criminal Code Cap C21 Vol. 1 Laws of Delta State of Nigeria, 2006.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Augustina Monye, said that the court had no jurisdiction to entertain the case and took no plea from the accused.
Monye ordered that duplicate copies of the accused persons’ case file be sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutor (DPP) of the state for advice. The case was adjourned till October 25 for mention.
In a related development, the State Security Service (SSS) in Delta State  last  Wednesday said it arrested five kidnap suspects, including Kelvin Obvrubie, who had been on wanted list of security agencies in the state.
The Director of SSS in Delta, Mrs Florence Ikanon, who confirmed the arrest in Asaba, said that Obvrubie was involved in many robbery and kidnapping cases in the state.
Speaking through her assistant, Mr Igbeji Didhcus, she said that the most wanted suspect was terrorising residents of Ethiope East Local Government Area of the state.
She said that the other suspects were arrested on Sept. 17 in a forest at Osubi, Uwie Local Government Area of the state.
The director said that they were arrested in connection with the kidnap of Mr Rufus Uzoma, a staff of Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) and Mrs Toyin Atoyebi.
She said that the suspects had confessed to planning and kidnapping the victim on Aug. 10 in his residence at Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of the state.
According to her, the suspects collected N2 million as ransom from the family of Uzoma.
“Within the same period, the suspects also kidnapped one Atoyebi, who the command later rescued from the same Osubi forest,” she said.
The director said that items recovered from them included one locally-made cut to size gun, N819, 000, a mask and a Nokia mobile phone.
She said that the service had intensified efforts to arrest other fleeing members of the gang, adding that those arrested would be arraigned immediately investigations were concluded.