“Ned Nwoko has consistently used proxies to do his dirty and fraudulent charges, in concert with dubious Nigerian police to lock up innocent men, including my father from Idumuje Ugboko for the murder that never happened or existed. How can one man be murdered so many times by different men and at different locations? Yes, all the charges do not list Ned Nwoko as the complainant. But he responded to my post and called me a liar: that confirmed that he is the sponsor of these frauds, as being insinuated. He is the main financier of the arrests and intimidations of my dad and our people. I am tired of standing by and watch one heartless man destroy our people, continue to use his financial resources to front and fund frivolous murder and terrorism charges against innocent men and the King of my hometown. If my father committed murder and terrorism, why is Ned Nwoko the one funding the ambush arrests and charges? Ned your name rings on the hallways and byways of the police stations as the “Order from Above”. . Where are the family of the alleged murdered victim? Doesn’t the dead have a family? Is Ned Nwoko from Benue State the alleged hometown of the victim? Why are there inconsistencies from your camp as to how the man was murdered?
Since Ned Nwoko continues to mention MURDER AND TERRORISM against my father, let's then examine this case.
This is what Ned Nwoko doesn’t want you to know about the murder charges:
Sometime in 2017, Ned Nwoko instigated a crisis in Idumuje Ugboko Community in Delta State, as a result of the community's firm refusal to give him additional 90 hectares of land, having mismanaged the over hectares earlier giving to him.
In the ensuing crisis, it was alleged that one Cyprian Kumaorun was killed. While this was ongoing, Mr Okey Ifejoku was several kilometres away in Asaba. He was neither present at the scene of the crisis nor participate in any alleged fight.
However, since then, Ned Nwoko has made it a point of duty to terrorize the community until they fall on their knees and offer him the land on a platter.
By virtue of Mr. Okey Ifejoku's position as the chairman of the Idumuje Ugboko Development Union, he has borne the greatest oppression from Ned Nwoko.
Ned Nwoko has unlawfully used the instruments of state, particularly the Nigeria police in Delta State and Abuja, to oppress the helpless members of Idumuje Community.
In 2017, Ned Nwoko prompted the Police in Delta State to file Charge Number: A/240C/2017, at the High Court of Delta State, against Ochei Nnamdi and Ofonye Ufoh, for the alleged murder of Cyprian Kumaorun. This charge was held on merit and the defendants were acquitted.
Not done, Ned Nwoko, once again, prompted the police to file charge no: MI/24C/2020, at the magistrate court of Delta State, Isele-Uku, against his own king (Obi Chukwunonso Nwoko), Mr. Okey Ifejoku and four other innocent members of the community, for the alleged murder of Cyprian Kumaorun. The charge was sent to the DPP of Delta State, who advised that the defendants had no case to answer: On the basis of the DPP's legal advice, the charge was struck out.
While this was going, Ned Nwoko moved to Abuja and got officers of the FCID Abuja to arrest Mr. Okey Ifejoku and 9 other members of the Idumuje Ugboko community. The 10 defendants were arrested, detained at FCID for up to six months, before they were charged to Court, in two batches, by the office of the A.G of the Federation for alleged terrorism and alleged murder of Cyprian Kumaorun. One wonders how the A.G of the Federation got so interested in a Communal Dispute in Idumuje Ugboko, with all the actual terrorism and banditry going in the North East and North West of Nigeria. Additionally, how could a charge be filed in Abuja when all the ingredients of the alleged offense and all the defendants reside in Delta State?
The first charge: FHC/CR/169/2020 was before Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the FHC and has been transferred to the FHC , Delta State.
The Charge: FH/CR/11/2019 (Mr. *Okey Ifejoku and 7 others) was assigned to Justice Abang of the Federal High Court. As of the time of writing this, 7 of the defendants have been granted bail, while the innocent youth Leader, Raymond Omosiete, has remained unjustly incarcerated, first at FCID Abuja, and later at Nigerian Correctional Service, Suleja, since November 23, 2020. All on Ned Nwoko's prompting.
Mr. Okey Ifejuku spent a cumulative time of about 9 months in both FCID and Nigerian Correctional Centre, Kuje, before he could perfect his very stringent bail conditions.
Seeing that almost all the defendants have been granted bail and that the charge is being exposed for what it is, outright persecution, Ned Nwoko, once again, prompted officers of the same FCID Abuja, to initiate another round of arrest, for the alleged murder of the same Cyprian Kumaorun, for which Mr. Okey Ifejoku had earlier been discharged by the Magistrate Court, upon the DPP's advice, and is in fact, still standing trial at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
On March 25, 2021, as Mr. Okey Ifejoku and his codefendants exited the FHC Abuja, where they had gone to attend their trial, officers of the FCID Abuja, arrested him and his deputy, Mr. Godwin Akaba, kept them at FCID for almost a week, before they were transferred to Delta State Police Command, Asaba, where they are still being detained right now.
Upon inquiries at the FCID, we were informed that they were arrested for the alleged murder of Cyprian Kumaorun. A few weeks later, an additional member of the community was arrested, and the police have vowed to arrest and prosecute the entire community, even though there are several concluded and ongoing cases on this issue.
As at the time of writing this, Mr. Okey Ifejoku, who has been granted bail by the Federal High Court, is in detention at the Delta State Police Command, Asaba, for an offense he did not commit. The Police have not charged him to court and they have refused to release him.
While all these are ongoing, Ned Nwoko has instigated some members of the community with no trace of royalty to challenge the Obiship of King Chukwunonso Nwoko. As a result of this, the king is yet to be given a staff of office, more than three years after he assumed the stool of his forefathers.
QUESTIONS FOR NED NWOKO:
1. What does Ned Nwoko want?
2. Why does he insist on Mr. Ifejoku Okey being detained indefinitely for the same offense he had earlier been discharged by the Magistrate Court and is also standing trial at the Federal High court, having been granted bail?
3. Does it not amount to an abuse of court process, cherry-picking and forum shopping, for the state and the police, prompted by Ned Nwoko, to arrest several members of the Idumuju Ugboko community and charged them in several different courts, for the same alleged offence?
4. What happens if the FHC and the High Court give different judgments on the same issue, same facts and same defendants?
5. Why does Ned Nwoko insist on the persecution of Mr. Okey Ifejoku even though he is innocent?
6. Can a man be bigger than his community?
#FreeOkeyIfejoku
PLEASE HELP ME TELL NED TO FREE MY FATHER. I WANT MY FATHER TO BE FREED NOW, ALONGSIDE EVERY OTHER INNOCENT MEN OF IDUMUJE UGBOKO LANGUISHING IN JAIL. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I WILL NOT STOP. THIS IS MY FIGHT AND I AM WILLING TO GO TO JAIL FOR IT. NED NWOKO I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOU. I AM THE SAME AGE AS YOUR WIFE, REGINA AND YOU CANNOT DO ME ANYTHING.
JUSTICE FOR MY FATHER IS NON-NEGOTIABLE.
- PAMELA IFEJOKU
