CHUKA UBAH
The Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has again adjourned till 29th September, 2022, for plea taking in the murder trail of four suspects fingered in the killing of one Chidi Onwukwe.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the defendants, Samuel Onwukwe, Andrew Epai Otanye, Blessed Onyekachi, Samuel Emmason Promise George and others are standing trial in charge sheet PHC/667/CR/2022, State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt over their alleged involvement in the killing of late Onwukwe.
On the last adjourned date, 16th July, 2022, the process was stalled following lack of counsels to defend three of the suspects in the matter.
Also, the prosecutor, Essien Edet, had notified the Court that the prosecution had an amended charge against the suspects and applied to the Court to substitute the initial charge filed on the 2nd of March, 2022, with the amended charge.
The Court had adjourned to enable the suspects get legal representatives to appear for them in Court before plea would be taken. But when the Court resumed on the matter, the prosecutor was absent in Court and the suspects were also not brought to Court except the 3rd defendant, Blessed Onyekachi, who is on an administrative bail.
However, the counsel for the second defendant, Jane Okpamen, told the Court that the prosecutor was not in town.
She said: “The prosecutor called me that he went to Akwa Ibom and said I should take a date after the vacation that he travelled”.
She said that her client, the second defendant, was at the Police station waiting for the Police to bring them to the Court.
Okpamen further requested the Court to strike out the matter until the prosecutor is ready to go on with the matter.
Meanwhile, the trail Judge, Justice Sylvester Popnen, adjourned till 29th September, 2022, for plea taking.