From Ifeoma Ejiofor, Nnewi
Hearing of the second prosecution witness continued last week as Mrs. Ebere Okeke, the Woman Leader for the campaign organization, mounted the witness box before an Ihiala High Court sitting in Nnewi, over the kidnap of the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in the November 2021 Anambra State gubernatorial election, Chief Obiorah Agbasimalo.
She testified against two defendants currently standing trial before the court presided over by Justice C.N. Mbonu-Nwenyi.
Mrs. Okeke in her testimonies said after the LP meeting, Chief Agbasimalo instructed the drivers and car owners to go and get fuel for their cars in a particular filling station for their function after which the first defendant Chukwudi Odimegwu dismissed the members who wanted to go for the function at Azia in Ihiala LGA , against the directive of Chief Agbasimalo (Oga ndi Oga).
She recalled how the accused Odimegwu was giving them direction through a phone call placed by one Ebony an occupant of their vehicle, while on speaker mode until they got to Azia, after which he never answered nor picked his call again.
The Woman Leader also testified that when they reached Dunukofia, Kosisochukwu Oyeudo the girl friend of Chukwudi Odimegwu broke the news that Chief Agbasimalo has been kidnapped.
When the counsel of the second defendant, Maxwell Chukwudi Nwokolo, asked the witness if she can recognize the 2nd defendant, she said that after the kidnap of Chief Obiorah Agbasimalo, the 2nd defendant called her on phone to be his girlfriend and warned her to avoid Odimegwu because he is bad man.
“He also told me that Chukwudi Odimegwu was the person who kidnapped the governorship candidate of Labour Party (LP), Chief Obiorah Agbasimalo, and that I should not panic, that once Oga ndi Oga bring the money they requested from him, he would be released because all they wanted was just to collect money from him.
“He said that he went to the camp where he was kept to give him his inhaler because he is an asthmatic patient.
“He claimed that some Ezinifte people have hands in his kidnap and that they don’t want him to be free,” she said.
The matter was adjourned to March 22nd for further hearing.
