Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
A Magistrate Court sitting in Onitsha has remanded in prison custody, Ikechukwu Udensi (Ikanda) a notorious criminal and suspected murder of a trader, Ndubuisi Nwokolo in June last year.
Ikanda a-27-year-old was on June 29, 2018, allegedly murdered one Nwokolo, s 38-year old business man based in Onitsha.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mustapha Dandaura, who on Monday, paraded the suspects at police headquarters, Awka, said Ikanda who was declared wanted, was arrested when police raided a criminal hideout at Menax near the flyover in Onitsha.
When Ikanda and one of his accomplices Chijoke Eze, were brought to court after the two-count charge of conspiracy and murder was read to them, the Chief Magistrate, Chioma Amauche, remanded them in Onitsha prison.
The chief magistrate who said that his court lacked the jurisdiction to handle the matter since it was a criminal case, directed the prosecutor (police) and director of state public prosecution to forward the case to a High Court for trial and adjourned the case till May 30.
However, parents and wife of the deceased who were in court demanded accelerated hearing on the matter for justice to prevail following the brutal killing of their son and husband. Nwokolo died leaving a son and a daughter.
Meanwhile, there was a mild drama at the court, when traders stormed the arena also demanding justice for the alleged killing of their colleague.
The traders bore placards with inscription such as “we want justice, killers of Ndubuisi Nwokolo should be killed,”; “Court is the hope of common man,”; “No delay for the case, Ndubuisi was killed in a cold blood,”; “Killers of Ndubuisi should not go unpunished.”
The chairman of the market line, Mr. Francis Maduike, said that they shut their market in protest and solidarity with court in order to give speedy judgement following the killing of their member.
The Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of G.U.O group of companies Chief Godwin Okeke who was at the court commended the police for nabbing the criminal who was declared wanted with government promising N 1 million to anyone who could give information on his whereabouts.
“I commend the police for his arrest and thanked the traders for the way they conducted themselves and did not take law into their hands. We are appealing to the government to ensure that the likes of Ikanda were arrested, prosecuted and removed from the society so that Onitsha will start having peace again.
“The criminals have ruined this place; traders no longer come to Main market because of the activities of criminals scare them always. They go to Lagos, Benin, Aba to buy their goods instead of coming to Onitsha because of Ikanda and his group. So, we are grateful to the police; we are grateful to the state government for taking action by getting him arrested,” Okeke stated.