Enugu Community Petitions Governor Mbah Over Alleged Attempt By Former Attorney-General To Withdraw Murder Charge

The Umurah Ndeabo Community of Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State has petitioned Governor Peter Mbah over what they described as a malicious termination of murder charge by former Attorney General, Chief Miletus Eze.

The community which petitioned Governor Mbah through their counsel, P.A. Ogwuche Esq, in a petition dated July 14, 2023, stated that the former AG allegedly entered nolle prosequi in the murder case, purportedly acting on behalf of the state while his tenure had expired.

Giving the background of the case, Ogwuche who is prosecuting the case with AG’s Fiat and representing the community’s interest through the Town Union Chairman, Mr. Richard Eze, accused the former AG of signing a nolle application to terminate the trial which was not filed in court until he left office.

He stated, “It is on record that on the night of 2/8/2019, a coordinated attack was launched against the community members who were sleeping by one Osita Okeke and five others in Charge No. RAW/47C/2019 who are now in Enugu Prison custody on a charge of murder where one Friday Eze was slaughtered to death and fourteen (14) received some degrees of injuries as cutting off their legs and hands.

“The six accused persons – Osita Okeke, Hyacinth Umeh, Onyemaechi Nworie, Uchenna Ezejiofor, Ozoemena Ume, and Ejiogu Onu among others at large are indigenes of same community, launched the coordinate attack on their brothers at night at the instance of the Ikpenwa families who insisted on being the Igwe against the wishes of the communities members.”

Ogwuche explained that his firm was consulted to take up the criminal prosecution of the murder charge on behalf of the community wherein fiat was issued in the name of the firm’s Principal Partner P. A. Ogwuche Esq dated July 13, 2020.

He, however, noted that the trial had been going on and on November 8, 2022, the then-AG authorised the amendment of the charge to include the count of conspiracy which was inadvertently omitted as pointed out and an amended charge was accordingly filed on January 20, 2023, with a fresh plea taken with the continuation of the trial.

He regretted that shortly after the expiration of the tenure of the immediate past Attorney General, the relations of the accused persons, especially one Onu, the father of the sixth accused person (Ejiogu Onu) was openly heard boasting that the Attorney General, Chief Eze will terminate the charge by entering Nolle prosequi when he leaves the office.

“The Attorney General confirming the rumour called for the case file to which this firm protested to him by letter dated 10/5/2023 which copy is attached herewith for ease of reference. The community members followed up with a physical protest en masse to his office on April 12, 2023.

“Nothing was thereafter heard until Chief M. E. Eze left office on May 29, 2023, as the then Attorney General of the state.

“However, we are reliably informed by the Registrar of the court that a state counsel purporting to be acting on the instructions of the outgone Attorney General to file in the court the said Nolle Prosequi on the July 25, 2023, instant at the resume hearing date of the case.

“And the community members are presently mobilizing for another protest to your honourable office in the bare-face perversion of the course of justice by an outgone administration whose action, if allowed to stand is capable of putting your honourable young administration as an administration set to pervert course of justice.

“We make bold to state that the intending action of the outgone Attorney General of the previous administration is in bad faith to bring into ridicule the present administration as anti-people. The legal instrument of Nolle Prosequi is for the good of public policy in the administration of criminal justice but not an instrument in the hand of the Attorney General for personal vendetta or favour-seeking.

“Our client’s community is pleading with your office to call for an investigation into the genuineness of this Nolle Prosequi instrument about to be implemented or otherwise if it accords with the public policy. We are also reliably informed that the office of the Solicitor General/Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice is not being carried along in this enterprise of the outgone Attorney General.”