Tina Amanda
Chief Magistrate Rita Oguguo of a Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt has remanded in prison custody, one Chidinma Maduka, a staff of Imo State correctional centre alongside Ifunaya Anderson, who are suspects in the trafficking of a set of twins alleged to have died in Police clinic Port Harcourt.
The Chief Magistrate also ordered that one Dr John Uzoegbu of Orphanage Home New Heaven, in Ohaji Egbema local government area Imo State, who is alleged to have initiated the trafficking of the twin babies should appear in court at the next adjourned date, 27 July 2021.
Chief Magistrate Oguguo made the orders upon her visit to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital to see corpses of the twin babies alleged to have been deposited at the hospital’s mortuary by the Police.
The Chief Medical Director of UPTH, Professor Henry Ugboma, confirmed the receipt of the corpses of the twin babies from Officers of Rivers State Police Command, thereafter presented the documents to the Chief Magistrate through the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, Professor Lucky Onatai and Legal Adviser, Uma Joshua Bob-Emmanuel.
The Chief Magistrate received the documents and admitted the report as exhibits in a child trafficking case involving one Dennis Chimezie, Favour Uche, Managing Director of Koko Homes Foundation, Koko Crusco and her staff, Comfort Ekon as well as a staff of the Imo State Correctional Center Chidinma Maduka.
After hearing from Dr Musa Stephen, a Consultant Pathologist at UPTH who informed the court that the autopsy result conducted on the deceased twin babies is yet to be out, the Chief Magistrate proceeded to the mortuary for identification of the corpses of the twin babies which were rejected by the prime suspects in the case, Dennis Chimezie and Favour Uche, saying that the bodies of the twins are different from the bodies police took away from them.
Our correspondent reports that the Chief Magistrate visited UPTH alongside representatives from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Nigeria Police, Officials of the Ministry of Justice, FIDA and legal officers.
Recall that at the last adjourned date, Chief Magistrate Rita Oguguo had adjourned for a visit to UPTH to confirm the remains of the alleged dead twin babies that were trafficked.
