Court Grants Bail To 4 MASSOB Members

A Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Nteje in Oyi council area of Anambra State Monday granted bail to four members of Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) for lack of evidence over charge of kidnapping leveled against them.

The court had earlier discharged the four members of the movement standing trial for kidnapping and other criminal activities leveled against them by the men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), in Awkuzu.

Uchenna Martins, Osita Anemen, Chibuike Okafor and Ifeanyi Onukwube were charged with kidnapping by the SARS operatives.

The presiding magistrate after listening to the two-count charge of kidnapping and unlawful possession of fire arms, said the police prosecution counsel could not prove his case beyond reasonable doubt and discharged the suspects for lack of evidence.

The prosecution counsel had alleged that the four suspects while armed with guns and other dangerous weapons kidnapped one Chinedu Neokeabia, thereby committed offence punishable under section 315 (2) (b) of criminal code Amended Laws of Anambra State 2010.

However, the case took another dimension when operatives of SARS amended the charge earlier used to arraign them and changed it from kidnapping to armed robbery and arrested them inside the court room.