Obinna Odogwu, Awka
An Awka Magistrate Court has sentenced a middle-aged man, Mr Joseph Nnajiofor, to two months community service for jumping bail and giving the police false information. Nnajiofor will clear the magistrate court’s premises or serve one month imprisonment and pay N500,000 fine. The money is what the complainant spent to track him when he jumped bail in the contempt charge preferred against him.
The defendant, in suit No: MAW/162c/ 2016 was charged with giving false and misleading information to the police. He had told the police that his younger sibling and other members of his family including Chief Obiekwe Nnajiofor, Reverend Cannon Kenneth Maduka, John Nnajiofor, Christopher Nnake, Okechukwu Nnajiofor, Joseph Ifeatu Okonkwo and others kidnapped and took him to Agu Enugwu-ukwu. According to him, at the location outside Awka, they beat, injured and stabbed him severally all over his body and abandoned him to bleed to death; knowing it to be complete false and mere fabricated lies.
The police told the court that Joseph Nnajiofor in view of the false misleading information which led to the initial arrest of the complainants therefore committed an offence punishable under section 154(1) of the Criminal Code Cap 36 Vol. 11, Revised Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria 1997 as amended.
He earlier took his plea and was granted bail. Unfortunately to him, he had been earlier charged and sentenced to five months imprisonment in another court within Awka magisterial district for another offence. He then applied for bail pending appeal at the High Court, which was granted. After the High court heard the bail application it revoked his earlier bail and was ordered to complete his sentence, which was when he absconded and never appeared in court to face the pending charge in suit Maw/162c/2016.
Consequently, his surety showed cause and paid the bail bond of two hundred thousand Naira (N200,000). The court noted an intense search for him which took detectives to all parts of the federation for more than eight months before he was finally apprehended by the police through a private tracker and logistics from the complainants.
He was then charged with contempt in charge No: MAW/169c/2020 on June 15 where he pleaded “guilty with reasons” and the court kept him in custody to defend his case. During proceedings on June 24,2020, the Police prosecutor, ASP Onyemelam Kalu appeared for prosecution while G.B Obi held a watching brief for the complainant and C.S Agbom Esq appeared for the defendant (Joseph Nnajiofor’).
The defendant informed the court that all the while he was observing proceedings from where he was hiding. However, the wife informed the court that she was the one that paid the bail bond of the surety. Thereafter, the defendant’s counsel, Mr. Agbom pleaded with the court that the defendant wanted to change his plea, the contempt charge was read over and he pleaded guilty. Meanwhile trial will commence in the main charge on a date to be fixed next month.