Tony Osauzo, Benin

Responding to alleged plans to free from prison the suspected murderer of an Edo woman under the guise of the prisons decongestion programme prompted by the COVID-19 crisis, the family of the victim, late Mrs Mercy Iserhienrhien of Uniaro community in Ovia North-East local government area, protested to the premises of the state high court in Benin City.

The victim’s family allege that there are plans by some persons to use the office of the Chief Judge of the State to free Mr Monday Edegbe who is currently on remand based on an order of the court.

Mr Nosakhare Iserhienrhien, the husband of the murdered woman, said that Monday had in May last year killed his wife after he had used police from Abuja to detain him and his son.

Suspect Monday and his brother, Saturday, were in November last year denied bail by Justice Ohimai Ovbiagele on the grounds that the case they were being tried for is a capital offence and if found guilty they would face capital punishment. The judge had also ruled that the suspect’s medical report purporting that he was ill did not also meet conditions that would warrant a bail for him.

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In the petition to the Chief Judge of Edo State, Mr Isehienrhien pleaded that “justice is done in the case of the murder of our wife, daughter and mother whose lifeless body still lies in the mortuary seeking for justice against one Monday Edegbe and members of his gang who had a hand in her killing.

“It will interest you to know that since his arrest and remand in prison custody, the said Monday has done everything possible to ensure he escapes and or interfere with the prosecution of this case by using highly connected individuals to attempt to release him from police custody. When this failed, he employed machinery to track and harass the known eyewitnesses which caused some of them to flee for fear of elimination. However, a few of the witnesses who are still willing and ready to testify are now worried,” the bereaved husband stated in his petition.

The Chief Registrar, High Court of Justice, Edo State, Idemudia Aziegbemhin, Esq, who received the protesters, assured them that justice would be done in the matter.

He assured them also that the judiciary is an independent arm of government that would not be compromised.