Those discharged and acquitted by the court include a Methodist Priest, Rev. Kenneth Azikiwe Okafor; Pastor Joseph Okenwa; Uchenna Edeh; Leonard Nnam; Nnemba Comfort Okenwa; Lawrence Nnajiofor and Nwodo Chinedu.
They were arrested and remanded in Enugu Correctional Centre in September 2018 over the death of Igwe Nwatu.
Nwatu had died following injuries he received while attempting to block the convoy of members of the community going to the Government House, Enugu, to protest his alleged high handedness, including outrageous burial and security levies, forced labour and collection of percentage on every land sold in the community. The brawl that led to his death at the Parklane Hospital, Enugu, took place at Amodu junction in the area.
Following his death, the Police swooped on the community and arrested all those that had either disagreed with the late monarch or were sighted during the brawl that caused his death.
Delivering judgment on the matter, Justice Ani said that she did not find anything against the accused persons and exonerated them of all the charges placed against them.
She stated that the prosecution did not present any of the eyewitnesses of the incident to testify in the case, adding that there was no evidence that the police witnesses have retired from the Police Force.
“I cannot see circumstantial evidence strong enough to tie the defendants to the murder of the deceased in the face of uninvestigated alibi raised by some of the defendants.
“The Whatsapp chats relied on by the prosecution in their attempt to link the defendants to the crime were well analysed in the earlier part of this judgment. Suffice it to state that the chats while being incomplete and fragmented did not disclose conspiracy to murder and could not be specifically traced to the defendants. The law is that all ingredients of murder must coexist before the court can convict a defendant.
“I hold that the prosecution was not able to prove the offences of conspiracy and murder against the seven defendants beyond reasonable doubt and they are consequently, hereby discharged and acquitted,” the judge ruled.
It could be recalled that the crisis in Ogbozinne community climaxed on June 11, 2018, with a brawl at Amodu junction between those sympathetic to the late Igwe Nwatu and those opposed to his leadership style. The cause of the brawl was an attempt by the monarch and his group to block the way of those going to stage a peaceful protest at the Enugu government house. Many including the Monarch had sustained injuries in the incident. But the Monarch had died at the hospital, a day after.
Although he had since been buried, the throne has remained vacant.
