The Police in Enugu State have finally docked three other suspects arrested over the death of a former Head of Nursing Services, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, Mrs. Maria Amadi.
The trio were arraigned before Hon. Justice Nebo.
This is coming several months after three staff of the deceased’s hospital were earlier arraigned and remanded over the same crime.
The hospital staff were arraigned following claims by the husband of the deceased that his wife’s dying declaration indicted them.
However, after their arraignment, the police still continued investigation, leading to the arrest of the three suspects docked before Justice Nebo. One of them was alleged to have confessed to the crime.
They were said to have shot directly at the deceased after robbing her of some money.
DAILY POST reports that they were docked on a-two count charge of armed robbery and murder of late Mrs. Amadi.
One of the Counts read: “Chidiebere Ochi ‘m’, Amadi Ekwo ‘m’, a.k.a Pharoah, Uchenna Onuora and others now at large on or about the 21st March, 2019 at about 1700hrs, at No. 38 Enugu-Ezike Street, Federal Housing Estate, Trans-Ekulu, Enugu within the Enugu Judicial Division while armed with two pistols loaded with ammunitions did rob one Late Dr. Mrs. Maria Amadi of her mobile phone value yet unknown and undisclosed sum of money and at the time of the robbery shot her at the lower abdomen and upper thighs.”
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the two-count charges.
Thereafter, Mr. Emmanuel Ugwu, a police legal officer, who appeared for the prosecution asked the Court to remand them in Correctional Services, an application that was not opposed to by Barr. Pius Abiche Ogwuche, who represented all the accused persons.
Subsequently the accused persons were remanded. The matter was adjourned to February 2020 for accelerated hearing.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that their arraignment was consequent upon a letter to the Enugu State Commissioner of Police from the Force Headquarters.
The said letter, signed by DCP Augustine Sanomi, Commissioner of Police, Legal/Prosecution Section, Force Headquarters, Abuja, also sought discontinuation of the earlier charge against the three colleagues of the deceased.
“It was revealed that there is enough evidence to establish prima facie cases of armed robery and murder, respectively against the three other suspects, subsequently arrested, namely – Chidiebere Ochi ‘m’, Amadi Ekwo ‘m’, a.k.a. ‘Pharaoh’ and Uchenna Onuora ‘m’, a.k.a ‘Amigo.
“On the other hand, neither of them claimed to have known or in any manner attempted to implicate any of the defendants already standing trial for the murder of late Dr. Maria Amadi before the High Court of Enugu State in charge No. E/165c/2019, hence the above underlined separate charge.
“In the circumstance, these facts need be brought to the knowledge of the Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Enugu State to enable them consider terminating the prosecution of the defendants earlier mentioned,” the letter read in part.
Sanoni had also in an earlier letter to the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, FCID, Abuja, disclosed that further investigation on the case was consequent upon a petition against the Enugu State Police Command, for allegedly being under pressure not to charge the suspects for murder.
He said in one of the paragraphs in the letter that “following the alleged plot by the Enugu State Command to charge the 1st -3rd suspects with other offences instead of the armed robbery and murder, following local pressure, a petition was written to the Inspector-General of Police on behalf of the complainant and that led to the transfer/assignment of the case to the current unit, which brought the current charge.”
The arraignment of three colleagues of the deceased over her alleged dying declaration was also faulted by the FCID report, which held that “the suspicion of the deceased is nothing but mere suspicion, which no matter how strong cannot take the place of evidence and cannot be regarded as a dying declaration, as it did not relate to the actual cause of her death.”
