Meanwhile, an Owerri Magistrate’s Court was on Monday thrown into confusion when one of the 14 aides of the former governor, Rochas Okorocha, named Darling Ibekwe surprisingly lost consciousness and slumped while being arraigned before the court.
The 14 of them who were loyalists of former governor Rochas Okorocha, representing Imo West in the Senate, were arraigned for allegedly breaking into the premises of the sealed estate said to belong to the Okorocha’s family.
They were accused of conspiring among themselves to flout an existing order issued by the state government by removing the seal of the state government and entering into the sealed premises of Royal Spring Palm Hotel and Apartments belonging to the wife of Senator Okorocha-Nkechi Rochas Okorocha.
Specifically, Ibekwe was also accused of publishing a recorded defamatory issue on social media with an ulterior motive to malign the reputation of the state government and the personality of Governor Hope Uzodimma while Olu Chizoba was charged with unlawful possession of a double-barrel pump action gun without license.
After six counts were read to the suspects, counsel for the defendants, Eddy Onyema, pleaded for their bail, promising that they would not bolt away if granted bail and would return to the court to take their trial.
Onyema argued that none of the charges preferred against the defendants was a capital offense.
Ibekwe, slumped when the Magistrate, B. U. Adikaibe, returned to the courtroom for her ruling but was revived by his fellow suspects, who pleaded for water with which he was revived.
The court later granted all the 14 accused person bail with N5m each amounting to N70m, which the court said must be fulfilled before they would regain their freedom.
Those arraigned with Ibekwe are Obasi Goodluck, Nwaiwu Ndubuisi, Median Ijeoma, Obor Victor, Ucheka Claudin, Sunday Chisom, and Ekpendu Peace.
Others were Nev Raphael, Basil Mba, Steve Asimobi, Ebere Nwokeji, Eberendu Chimechifulam (former Aide-de-camp to ex-governor, Rochas Okorocha), and Olu Chizoba.
