By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Chief Magistrates’ Court in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, has remanded a 29-year-old Chibuike Izzogo at the Federal Correctional Centre in Abakaliki for attempting to kill his three months old baby and setting his in-laws’ house ablaze.

Chibuike was said to have impregnated a twenty years old girl who gave birth to little Amarachi without performing any marriage rites which according to Izzi tradition made him just a free sperm donor.

Consequently, the supposed wife and daughter were not allowed to live with him but were being taken care of by the girl’s family in her family compound against his wish of the culprit who set the house on fire.

The defendant is accused in the suit number MAB/ 361c/2020 for attempted murder and arson because he allegedly poured Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) round the house where his supposed in-laws and the baby were sleeping at night on the 8th July, 2020 which made them wake up suddenly, ran helter-skelter from sleep forgetting the innocent baby, after which she got 50% degrees burnt before she was rescued.

The suspect who had no defense counsel during arraignment was said to have also beaten his 56 years old supposed father in-law, Mr. Cletus Aloh, with plank and sticks which caused him injuries on his head and legs some days after the arson incident.

He, thereby, committed offence punishable under section 320 (1), 443 (a) and 355 all of criminal code cap 33 volume 1 laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.

Speaking during the arraignment, the trial magistrate, Blessing Chukwu, due to lack of competent jurisdiction, ordered remand of the suspect in Abakaliki Federal Correctional centre and adjourned the matter to a later date for report of compliance.

The trial magistrate directed the transfer of all documents and evidences in the mater to Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) for further prosecutions at the high court.

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