Tina Amanda
Justice Adolphus Enebeli of High Court in Port Harcourt has given seven days ultimatum to the Counsel to Ifeanyi Dike, to file his written address.
Justice Enebeli gave the order following the absence in court of Lezina Amegwa, Counsel to Ifeanyi Dike, 1st Defendant in the murder case of 8years old Victory Chikamso.
Chikwele Bekwe Counsel, to Sergeant Johnbosco, the 3rd Defendant in the case, told the court that he is holding brief for Lezina Amegwa, stressing that the Counsel was unable to come to court due to his ill health.
Queeneth Wokoro, Counsel to Ugochukwu Nwamiro, the 2nd Defendant in the matter, also brought a motion seeking for an extension of time, to enable them to file their final written address.
Justice Enebeli after listening to parties in the case granted the prayers of the 2nd Defendant and said all Defendants should file and serve their written addresses to the Prosecution before the next adjourned date while urging the Prosecution to use within the seven days to reply and serve on point of law.
Justice Enebeli adjourned the case to 20th February for the adoption of written addresses.
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State Prosecution Counsel, Chidi Ekeh, told our correspondent, Tina Amanda, that despite the 21days initially given to the Defence at the last adjourned date, he is yet to receive copies of written address from 1st Defendant and 2nd Defendant.
“The court has made an order, given seven days ultimatum to the 1st Defendant who is the major person in the matter so that the Prosecution can address all the issues that the three Defendants would have raised in a single address.
“The court gave us seven days each to respond on what we call, ‘a reply on point of law’. It means that if there is any issue raised by Prosecution in its address which the defendants did not cover on their own, they have a right to reply on point of law, thereafter we will adopt all the addresses and the court will be adjourned for judgement”
“On his part, Chikwele Bekwe Counsel to 3rd Defendant said if all the Defendant Counsels had filed their written address, they would have adopted their final address today.
“We have not all filed our addresses especially the 1st Defendant’s Counsel, the state Prosecution want to respond to all our addresses once, if the 1st Defendant had filed his own and served the Prosecution, we would have adopted by today.
“We are hoping that by next adjourned date we would adopt our final addresses and the matter would be adjourned for judgement”
Recall that Ifeanyi Dike, Ugochukwu Nwamiro and Sergeant Johnbosco are standing trial, for murder, aiding escape in the murder of 8 years old Chikamso Victory, who was killed and some of her body part mutilated in Eliozu area of the state in 2017.
