Two out of the nine suspected murderers and indigenes of Obeagu community in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu state, Nnamdi Orji and Obinna Alor have been remanded in prison custody by an Enugu State Magistrate Court. Their offenses range from multiple criminal charges bordering on armed robbery, attempted murder, deprivation of liberty, malicious damage and assault occasioning harm.
The suspected criminals had invaded the farmland of the people of Ezioha Mmaku, neighbours to Obeagu and allegedly kidnapped two indigenes of Ezioha from the farm and inflicted bodily wounds on them.
The magistrate court sitting in Mgbidi, in Awgu LGA but presently sitting in Enugu due to logistics inadequacies at Mgbidi agreed with the prosecution that granting bail to the individuals would jeopardize peace in the area.
The prosecution had also argued that the individuals and seven others had evaded arrest and police invitation for many weeks before their subsequent arrest and arraignment.
According to the prosecution, the invasion by indigenes of Obeagu and their agents on farmlands in Ezioha Mmaku have been frequent in the last 20 years even after the Supreme Court had twice ruled in favour of Ezioha Mmaku on a case of ownership of the whole land area covering Egu Ugwu and Ebe Agbo.
Delivering judgment on the case in 1995 when it came before the apex court the second time, in his lead judgment late Justice Alfa Belgore of the Supreme Court, had directed that “no court in the land (Nigeria) can hear this matter again.”
But the people of Obeagu have continued to refuse the vacate the land, instead have expanded their occupation on the affected land and waged a violent campaign of terror and abuse on the people of Ezioha Mmaku.
Refusing the bail application put forward by counsels of Orji and Alor before the magistrate court, the Chief Magistrate fixed for further hearing the matter on May 10, 2024.
The court further ordered the President General of Obeagu Christian Orji who took the suspects at large on bail to produce the seven of them at the next hearing of the court “without fail” on May 10, 2024, or face remand himself.
The court had issued a warrant for their arrest on the first hearing of the matter. Speaking on the decisions of the court, Chairman General of Ezioha Mmaku Chief Anselm Okolo KSM praised the court for its boldness on the matter.
He said, “we are finalizing plans to ensure that the continued invasion of Obeagu on Ezioha Mmaku lands is checked once and for all”.
