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| Uche Irenuma |
The bizarre case of Obi Uche
Irenuma took yet another twist inside the Delta State Magistrate court room on
Wednesday when trial magistrate, Mrs. Queen Momoh, remanded him to prison until
early March. It was news the embattled dethroned Abavo monarch likely did not
want to hear following his collapse at police headquarters on Monday.
Delta State police in
Asaba had placed him under arrest that day for allegedly giving them false
information about a series of strange events that include arson, the destruction
of at least four homes, random shootings, and unprovoked attacks on innocent
citizens in the village where he ruled. On Monday following his collapse, the
Obi was rushed to a private hospital in the state capital.
On Wednesday, police moved, some say, dragged the monarch to
the Asaba magistrate court for possible trial, where he went before a judge.
Wednesday’s court
drama, witnessed by a SaharaReporters correspondent, started as soon the trial
magistrate, Mrs. Queen Momoh, read out the 15 count series of charges brought
against the monarch and others. The monarch who was brought to court on a
stretcher with a medical drip attached to each of his arms, vomited, and
started what some eyewitnesses said was convulsion.
It was at this point where Mr. Matthew Omonade, the
monarch’s legal counsel, had immediately
pleaded for a motion, and attention of the trial magistrate, that his client
was not in good health, and in a poor condition to attend court proceedings.
The trial magistrate, Mrs. Queen Momoh, ignored Omonade’s
plea for a delay, and went ahead reading off the chargers against the Obi, and
others connected in the bizarre case.
“That you Obi Uche Irenuma, Onyekewn Festus, Irenuma
Ogochukwu, Amadi Chison, Prince Chinedu Irenuma and others, now at large,” the
magistrate read, “on or about the 16th day of January in Abavo magistrate
district, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony, to wit promoting
ethnic war, and therefore committed an offence punishable under section 516 of
the criminal code law cap C12, laws of Delta state of Nigeria.”
Turning to face the embattled monarch, in a dramatic and
pointed fashion, went on to read, “That you, Obi Uche Irenuma, Onyekewn Festus,
Irenuma Ogochukwu, Amadi Chison, Prince Chinedu Irenuma, and others now at
large, did without lawful authority, carried out war against the Abavo kingdom,
committed (an) attempted murder, malicious damage of houses and other property,
(provided) false information to the commissioner of police, Delta State
command, among others.”
After reading off the charges against the monarch and
others, the court fell silent. The trial magistrate at that point remanded the
monarch to a federal prison hospital where he will remain in custody. She also
adjourned the case to March 11th, 2014 for a further hearing.
Some indigenes who had fingered the former Delta State House
of Assembly Speaker, Mr. Martins Okonta, of allegedly throwing his weight
behind the embattled monarch of the community, remained adamant that more
needed to be done. With special force they continued to point out the brutality
that resulted in, what they said, was the unleashing of terror against his
people, also accused their king of sending his aides and guards to kidnap
little children in the community for sacrificial purposes.
What stuck with them most of all, they said, was ‘the
fanning of the flames’ that created a crisis in the normally quiet community,
all because of oil money.
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