Following the gruesome murder of a former Divisional Police Officer of Ahoada East, SP Bako Angbashim, a Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has remanded the king of Igbu Akoh Kingdom, His Majesty, Eze Cassidy Ikegbidi, two other monarchs in the area, as well as other defendants.

The court presided over by Justice Sika Henry Apirioku who denied an oral bail application by the defendant’s counsel, ordered that all defendants be remanded in the Port Harcourt maximum correctional centre, before adjourning the matter till November 21 for plea and bail consideration.

The defendants who faced several charges bordering on murder, conspiracy to commit murder, cultism, and kidnapping among others, were arrested by the police in connection with the killing of SP Bako Angbashim.

The former Ahoada East DPO, Angbashim, was killed in the Odiemudie community forest by a wanted cult kingpin known as David Gift aka 2baba, and his gang in September 2023.

When the defendants were arraigned in court by the Police on Thursday in the suit marked PHC/3208/CR/3023, counsel for the 1st to 10th defendants, Uchechukwu Igbegiri, prayed the court to grant the defendants bail.

While the prosecuting counsel and acting Police O. C. legal, SP Enyiyepere Sikpi, opposed the bail plea by the defendant’s counsel, stating that the charges were grievous.

The charge sheet sighted by our correspondent contained His Majesty, Eze Cassidy Ikegbidi as the 1st Defendant, while two other monarchs, His Royal Highness Eze Kilvine N. Amugwo and His Royal Majesty Dr. Felix E. Otuwarikpo were the 37th and 38th defendants respectively.

Addressing journalists outside the courtroom, the acting Police O. C. legal and prosecuting counsel, SP Enyiyepere Sikpi, said the defendants were remanded following the prosecution’s opposition to their oral bail application.

Sikpi said, “What transpired in Court today was that the defendants were arraigned and their bail application was raised and we opposed it, the court saw reasons and refused the bail and remanded the defendants.

“The case is adjourned to November 21, 2023 for trial, the defendants were charged for attempted murder, murder, cultism, and two other offenses.”

On his part, counsel for the 1st to 10th defendants, Uchechukwu Igbegiri, said he was going to perfect the defendants’ bail application before the next adjourned date

“This is a high court and an application cannot be done orally, especially when the charges are serious like murder, robbery, and cultism.

“So we have to go and file our bail applications for the accused persons, this is a High Court, a court of superior jurisdiction, so seeking for bail will be by way of motion and that is what the court has advised us to do and that is what we are going to do,” he said. (Courtesy, excluding headline, Daily Independent)

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