Men Accused of Ozokhome's Abduction Claim They Were Forced To Admit Culpability

Men Accused of Ozekhome's Abduction Claim They Were Forced To Admit Culpability

Three men accused by the Department of State Services (DSS) of kidnapping human rights activist, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) on Thursday  told a Federal High Court in Abuja that they were forced to make their statement while in detention at the DSS headquarters.

The accused persons, who made the allegation through their lawyers are demanding for a trial within trial to determine veracity of the statements and its admissibility in court.

The accused persons Kelvin Oniarah Ezeigbe, Frank Azuekor and Michael Omonigho were arraigned on 13 count charges bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping and acts of terrorism.

According to Chioma Onuegbu, chief state counsel, the accused persons and others now at large between 2010 and 2013 committed various forms of terrorism contrary to sections 1, 8 and 10 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Thursday, two of the three witnesses presented by the prosecuting counsel told the court how the accused persons attacked prison warders transporting the second accused person, Frank Azuekor, to court killing two of the prison warders and injuring three others.

While, the third prosecution witness, who is an investigative officer with the DSS told the court that all the accused persons made confessional statements of how they were involved in the kidnapping of prominent persons, between Delta and Edo States, armed robbery and murder of police and prison warders in the course of their operations.

He added that they threatened the Federal Government to grant them amnesty, failing which, they would make their communities ungovernable.

However counsel to the first to third accused persons opposed the admission of the said statements as evidence in court, insisting that there is the need to verify the authenticity of the statements, maintaining that the statements did not comply with Section 104, which stipulates that it must be certified by a superior
authority in the DSS.

Lawyer to the fourth accused person however had no objection.

In the charge, the accused persons were alleged to have on August 23, 2013 kidnapped Ozekhome at Iruekpen on his way to Iviukwe in Agenebode, Edo State.

He was in captivity for about three weeks before his release.

The accused persons allegedly shot and killed four Police officers namely Paul Ajaka (ASP); Sunday Ewanshiha (Inspector); Michael Akpada (Inspector) and Bakary Ekong (Inspector) and Innocent Odoh (Sergeant).

They also allegedly killed two Prison officials namely Lawrence Edora (Inspector) and Oyibo Okoye (SPA) and made away with their service rifles.

According to the prosecution, the accused persons compelled Ozekhome to part with the sum of N40 million ransom in US dollars.

The accused persons were also alleged to have abducted Prof Hope Eghagha, Athanasius Ugbome, and Maka Omorogbe and made them to pay millions of naira in ransom.

They, however, pleaded not guilty to all the count.