A Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday granted
bail to two suspects arrested in connection with the alleged murder of Cynthia
Osokogu,
But the driver who was accused of driving the
prime suspect to Cosmilla Hotel, FESTAC, was remanded in prison custody.
The suspects granted bail – Nonso Ezike (22), who is
the younger brother to Olisaeloka, one of the alleged killers, and Ezeaka
Chinonso (27) – were arrested by policemen at Area E for receiving and selling
Cynthia’s BlackBerry phone.
The two counts read, “That you Ezike Nonso Ifechukwu
and Ezeaka Chinonso, sometime in the month of July 2012, at 93 Tedi/Memo Road
Abule-Osun, Lagos in the Lagos Magisterial District did conspire among
yourselves to commit felony to wit: receiving robbed/stolen property thereby
committed an offence and punishable under Section 409 of the Criminal Law of
Lagos State, 2011.
“That you (accused persons), on the same date, time did
knowingly receive one white BlackBerry phone valued at N85,000 from one Ezike
Olisaeloka also known as Chidera, property of Cytnhia, knowing same to have
been robbed/stolen and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section
326 (1)(2) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.”
Nonso’s lawyer, Mr. J. C Ngobili, told the court that
the accused was a student of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, and
prayed the court to grant him bail in liberal terms.
The Magistrate, Mr. P.A. Adekomaya, admitted that
although the offences were bailable, he pointed out that the bail condition
ought not to be too liberal in view of the circumstances surrounding Cynthia’s
murder.
He granted Nonso and Ezeaka bail in the sum of N500,000
each with two sureties in like sum, adding that the sureties must not be
teachers or local government employees. He added that the sureties could be
bank tellers.
He said, “The court observes that the matter at hand is
a bailable offence but in order to deter the defendants from flight, I hereby
subject them to bail of N500, 000 each with two sureties in like sum.”
The third accused person, Gideon Okechukwu, a driver,
was however charged with eight counts of murder, rape, robbery, conspiracy,
administering a harmful substance to the deceased among others.
The charge reads in part, “That you, Gideon Okechukwu,
and others charged to court, on the same dates, time and place, in the
aforesaid Magisterial district, did unlawfully kill one Cynthia Osokogu (25) by
administering her with obnoxious substance known as Rohypnol Flunitrazepam
tablets via a Ribena drink, binding her with padlock and cellotaped her legs,
neck and mouth, giving her fist blows all over her body, giving her several
human bites, tortured and strangled her to death and thereby committed an
offence, punishable under Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State,
2011.”
Okechukwu had told PUNCH Metro before he was arraigned
that he only drove the alleged killers from the area where the hotel was
situated, adding that he had no role in Cynthia’s murder.
Okechukwu’s lawyer, Bello, prayed the court to also
grant the accused bail, adding that he had been held at the State Criminal
Investigation Department.
The magistrate, who quickly interjected, explained that
it wasn’t within the jurisdiction of the court to grant bail for such offences.
He said, “Do you think I am drunk or under a spell that
I would grant bail for such offences? Before this court is an application for
remand. The accused person can only be granted bail based on the advice from
the Director of Public Prosecutions or order from a superior court.”
Okechukwu was remanded in Ikoyi Prison. The matter was
adjourned till October 3, 2012.