Cynthia's murder: Court grants two suspects bail, remands driver

A Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court yesterday 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.

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.

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.

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.

Okechukwu was remanded in Ikoyi Prison. The matter was adjourned till October 3, 2012.

Culled from Punch