From Ifeoma Ejiofor
The hearing of the second prosecution witness continued last week as Mrs Ebere Okeke who was 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 2021Anambra State gubernatorial election Chief Obiorah Agbasimalo.
She testified against two defendants currently standing trial before an Nnewi High court No 1 presided over by Justice C.N. Mbonu -Nwenyi as second prosecution witness (PW 2)
Ebere Okeke who is the Woman Leader of Oga ndi Oga Solidarity Movement while testifying before the court said after the party meeting, High Chief Godwin 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 , as directed by High Chief Godwin Agbasimalo (Oga ndi Oga).
The Woman Leader said further that when the first defendant Chukwudi Odimegwu was asked why he dismissed the members, he said that High Chief had selected the people to go with and that he further instructed the members to collect bags and political materials which she noted was unusual, because they usually do that after outings.
Mrs Okeke also stated that they were prepared to go and support the rally, but he left without telling them.
She recalled how the accused person Chukwudi Odimegwu was giving them direction through phone call place to him by Ebony who was one of the occupants of their vehicle which is on speakout.
Mrs Okeke said that the defendant was giving them direction until they reached 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 Obiorah 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 Chukwudi Odimegwu because he is bad.
She said that he also asked her to stop using his car because the first defendant wanted to kill her, “I told him that I don’t know you, he then sent his picture to me with stern warning again that I should avoid Chukwudi Odimegwu because he is a dangerous person.
“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 is just to collect money from High Chief Godwin Agbasimalo. (Oga ndi Oga).
“He said that he went to the camp where he was kept to give him his inhaler because he is an asthmatic patient, I was happy to hear that and praise God because rumors had it that he has been killed. He claimed that some Ezinifte people have hands in his kidnap and that they don’t want him to be free, he later said that Chukwudi Odimegwu was kidnapped,” she recalled.
After testifying before the court, Ebere Okeke was further cross- examined by the defence counsel.
The matter was afterward adjourned till March 22nd for further hearing.