The High Court of Abia State has refused an application for bail filed by the defence counsel, Gabriel Ezindu, for the defendants, a 23-year-old John Emmanuel and 54-year-old Nwafor Ogbonnaya, standing trial over the alleged murder of 60-year-old Ijeoma Ariwodo of Amannagwu village, Arochukwu Local Government Area of the state.
The trial continued on Tuesday at the High Court of Abia State, when defence counsel referred the court to the proceedings of July 8, where an application for the bail of the defendants had been made.
The defence counsel, while praying the court to grant the bail application, urged the judge to consider the application.
However, the court refused the application, stating that granting bail was risky as the defendants might jump bail.
The police had recommended that the defendants should be charged to court in connection with Ariwodo’s death.
Ariwodo was allegedly killed on October 19, 2024, after he went to his Okobo farm plantation at about 5pm to cover harvested plantain.
He failed to return home that night, and his children discovered his body along the Akpunabo Okobo road on the morning of October 20, 2024, with multiple cutlass wounds.
The case was transferred from Arochukwu Police Station to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Umuahia, for investigation.
According to the police investigation, the victim and the suspects were relatives and neighbours residing at the Okobo farm settlement in Atani Ihechiowa, with previous bad blood and ongoing land disputes existing between them.
The police had also noted that John Emmanuel previously went to the victim’s house and threatened him with a cutlass.
The police investigation had concluded that murder charges could not be established against Ariwodo Ogbonnaya Uwa, and Emmanuel Ogbonnaya Uwa, due to a lack of direct circumstantial evidence.
The police, however, recommended that John Emmanuel and Nwafor Ogbonnaya be charged to court, while efforts should continue to locate and arrest other fleeing suspects.
