Court remands two-term Reps Member in Ebonyi over alleged murder, fraud, other offences
From Chinedu Nwafor, Abakaliki
A two-term member of the House of Representative and the Labour Party senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South Zone in the 2023 election, Hon. Linus Okorie, has been remanded, on Tuesday, by an Ebonyi State High Court, sitting in Abakaliki.
Okorie was arraigned for alleged offences bothering on false information, fraud, murder and felony.
In one of the three separate charges against Okorie, which dated differently, the police alleged the suspect, in liaison with others attempted to defraud the federal government of its property valued N750,000.00, on August 2021, in the Abakaliki metropolis.
The Police Prosecutor, Ndukaku Chinagorom-Eze, told the court that the offences contradicted section 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, Cap. A66 Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2006 and section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, CAP A66 laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2006.
The charges partly reads: “That you Linus Okorie ‘m’ and others at large, sometime in the month of August, 2021, at Layota Farm Abakaliki within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: Advance Fee Fraud and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, CAP. A66 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2006.
“That you Linus Okorie ‘m’ and others now at large, on the same date, place and in the aforesaid Magistrate District did with intent to defraud, obtain National Identity Card Registration Machine valued Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N750,000.00), property of the Federal Government of Nigeria, through a medium of contract induced by false pretense and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 1 (3) of Advance Fee Fraud Act, CAP A66 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2006.”
But Counsel to Okorie, Barr Nomeh Chikaodiri, pleaded the Magistrate to grant the suspect bail, on the grounds that as a senior citizen, he would not jump bail.
But the Prosecuting Counsel, ASP Chinagorom-Eze, objected to the bail application, saying the suspect might thwart the court processes, because of his position in society.
The Magistrate, Justice I. Ogodo, remanded the suspect and directed that the matter be transferred to the Federal High Court Abakaliki, for competent adjudication and trial.
The matter was adjourned till November 4, 2022, for report of compliance.
The suspect’s Counsel, Barr Chikaodiri, described the Tuesday Court decision as an abuse and afront to judicial proceedings.
