From Ifeoma Ejiofor
An Ihiala High Court in Ihiala Judicial Division, sitting at Nnewi, Nnewi LGA of Anambra State has heard how the missing Labour Party (LP) Candidate in the 2021 Governorship election, Chief Obiora Agbasimalo was not freed after certain ransome payments.
This was revealed by the Seventh Prosecution Witness (PW7) Godwin Agbasimalo(Oga Ndi Oga) in his evidence before Justice C.N. Mbonu-Nwenyi on the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of his Cousin and LP Candidate at Azia in Ihiala LGA of the State.
In a Suit No.HIH/15C/22, two persons – Chukwudi Odimegwu and Maxwell Nwokolo (First and Second Defendants) respectively, alongside others at large – are standing trial before the court for alleged conspiracy and kidnap of Agbasimalo as preferred in a charge by the Department of State Services at an Awka Magistrate Court in Charge No. MAW/506/2022.
Testifying before Mbonu-Nwenyi-led High Court, PW7 revealed that the Second Defendant, Maxwell Nwokolo collected huge sums of money from him as ransome as a commitment to facilitate the release of the kidnapped LP candidate to him.
Agbasimalo recounted that the Second Defendant told him he had escaped from an unnamed camp on a certain day the camp erupted in tumultous jubilation of successful kidnap of Oga Ndi Oga Foundation boss (himself) only to discover it was not him, but a mistaken Identity as it was his cousin who was attacked and abducted.
According to the PW7, the Second Defendant severally demanded and collected ransome monies from him, including the N5 million he handed over in two instalments of N2.5 million each for alleged transfer to the abductors, in addition to four motorcycles which would be used to enter the unmotorable bushy path leading to the camp to bring the victim out.
He claimed that the Second Defendant who doubled as the Coordinator of Oga Ndi Oga Solidarity Movement for Ekwusigo LGA had equally honoured a visit to the palace of his traditional ruler, alongside four other supposed abductors led by one of its commanders known as Black Stone and repeated all the things he had told him, including immediate release of the detained politician once the financial deal was struck and sealed.
The PW7 lamented that, after all the ransome payments, the Second Defendant failed to live up to expectation to use his promised close relationship with the abductors to secure the release of his kidnapped cousin till date.
Earlier, the PW7 had told the court that the First Defendant, Chukwudi Odimegwu who worked as his Personal Assistant(PA) had purportedly acted curiously after he had collected the sum of N100,000 for fueling of ten Siena buses meant for Oga Ndi Oga Solidarity Movement supporters and well-wishers to use to accompany him and Rev. Father Jude Nwabueze whose elder brother was billed to perform New Yam Festival at Azia.
Oga Ndi Oga wondered why the First Defendant collected the money for the trip, switched off his phone and lied to those who planned the journey that I asked them to return home.
He further disclosed that after the said attack and abduction, the First Defendant didn’t reach him, but chose to break the news of kidnap to his girlfriend, Kosisochukwu Oyeudo who told others how he (First Defendant called to tell her he escaped into a bush while the fate of the LP Candidate was unknown after gunmen allegedly attacked the convoy of the LP Governorship Candidate.
The PW7 said the First Defendant later came to his house with a chartered commercial motorcycle to recount the tales of the attack on the convoy of his cousin and claim of not knowing the whereabouts of the LP Candidate he has driven to the ceremony.
He noted that it was curious for the Second Defendant to later make financial demands for him to contact the abductors, which the PW7 said he met promptly, but his cousin is still not freed.