A Port Harcourt High Court has remanded five suspects into Port Harcourt Maximum Correctional Centre for allegedly killing the Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Alakahia community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Mr. Anele Nwozuruka in September, 2019.
The trial judge, Justice Florence Fiberesima, remanded the five suspects after they pleaded not guilty to the five count charges brought against them by the state government at the resumption of the matter, yesterday in Port Harcourt.
The trial judge, after allowing the suspects to take their pleas, ordered that they should be remanded at the correctional centre, and adjourned the matter to February 8 and 11, 2021.
According to the five-count charge, Blessing Ogbuagu, Bright Chima-Wali, Nnamdi Emenike, ThankGod Akani and Chibuchi Solomon-Festus and others now at large, were alleged to have conspired and killed Anele Nwozuruka on September 21, 2019, at Alakahia community.
The five suspects were allegedly accused of belonging to a cult group known as Iceland, and had in their possession and control, firearms without the awareness of the appropriate authorities, an offence punishable under laws of Rivers State.
In count five, Blessing Ogbuagu was alleged to have threatened to kill the wife of Innocent Chima-Wali.
The Tide reports that when the charges were read, the five defendants pleaded not guilty to the five counts.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen after the court sitting, Rivers State Prosecution Counsel, Chidi Ekeh, who spoke to The Tide, outside the court, explained said the delay arraigning the suspects was because of the difficulty in arresting some of them by the police.
Before the suspects took their pleas, the state Prosecution Counsel, Chidi Ekeh, had sought the approval of the court to withdraw the first charge that had only three defendants, and to substitute same with the charge that has five defendants.
The court granted the request without any objection from defense counsel.