Extrajudicial Killings: Court Grants Anambra Whistleblower Bail

A Federal High Court No. 1 sitting at Awka, Anambra State, presided over by His Lordship, Justice F.O. Riman, on Wednesday, granted bail to a whistleblower, Nnamdi Emeh.

Emeh was working as an IT consultant for the Anambra State Police Command and was attached to the Rapid Response Squad in Awkuzu.

He had through an online platform in January revealed alleged evidence of atrocities ranging from organ harvesting and extra-judicial killings allegedly committed by some officers of the Anambra State command.

The whistleblower was declared wanted for impersonation on February 20, 2023, and was subsequently arrested on March 3 in the Benin Republic by Interpol and the Nigeria Police where he was said to have fled.

While still in custody at Awka, the command, through the Commissioner of Police in Anambra, Echeng Echeng accused him of hacking into a suspect’s bank account and stealing a whopping sum of N47 million from the account during a press conference in April, adding that the case is before the Federal High Court.

The police thereafter arraigned him in court on Thursday, May 11 on a 12-count charge of impersonation, fraud stealing, among others, in charge No. IGP Vs. Emeh Nnamdi Daniel (FHC/AWK/C/60/2023).

When the charge was read before the court, the accused person pleaded not guilty to all the charges and his legal counsel, Justus Uche Ijeoma Esq. applied for his bail which the police prosecution vehemently opposed on the grounds that he could jump bail since he had already been on the run before he was tracked down.

But his counsel, Ijeoma insisted that he would not jump any bail, saying that what the accused earlier did was not jumping off bail but he only ran for his life and not from justice.

After hearing from both parties, Justice Riman adjourned the ruling on the bail application to Tuesday, May 16, but when the court could not sit, it adjourned to Wednesday for the ruling.

Ruling in the bail application on Wednesday, Justice Riman admitted the applicant/ defendant to bail in the sum of N50m with two sureties in like sum, adding that the sureties must have a landed property within the jurisdiction and evidence of payment of three years tax.

Adjourning the matter to May 24, 25, 30 and 31, for accelerated hearing, the court also ordered that the applicant should deposit his International passport with the Court Registry and get it back on the application when the need arises.