The Ebonyi State Police Command yesterday arraigned the Coordinator of Ohaozara West Development Centre, Ogbonnaya Ene Odii and his two brothers, Enekwachi and Martin at the Magistrate Court in Ohaozara for an alleged stripping and beating of a 15-year-old orphan, Uzoamaka Chukwu while naked. Also arraigned were three police officers who were allegedly involved in the crime. They are Paulinus Nwadonwe, Monday Nweke and Irondi Obinna.
The three officers were said to have been dismissed by the police. The six suspects were arraigned on a 10-count charge bordering on indecent assaults on female, abduction, deprivation of liberty and publication of defamatory matters; forcing her to lie on broken bottles and hitting her with cables and electric wires. The suspects were also alleged to have recorded the video clip of Uzoamaka’s nude and sent it to the social media with the false claim that she was caught making love in her father’s house with a man, a publication that injured her reputation, exposed her to hatred, contempt and ridicule.
The defence counsel, Friday Akpor made oral application for bail of all the accused persons, stating that if police can grant bail, the court cannot tie it’s hand in granting bail. However, the prosecuting counsel, Adeola Elumaro, opposed the bail application on the grounds that the accused persons can tamper with the prosecuting witnesses as the witnesses have been in one time or the other dehumanised by the accused persons. Elumaro further prayed the court to review the bail application for the accused persons. The trial magistrate, Ojemba Isioko granted the accused persons bail on the grounds that the prosecuting counsel could not prove how the accused persons can tamper with the prosecuting witnesses.
