President of a Benin socio-cultural group, Benin Solidarity Movement (BSM) worldwide, Ambassador Curtis Eghosa Ugbo, has demanded for justice in a murder, kidnap case involving one Isaiah Akpani, which a Benin Criminal Court 2 headed by Justice Imadegbelo struck out.
In a statement signed by Ambassador Ugbo, he said: “Benin Solidarity Movement (BSM) worldwide is shocked at the recent no case submission that Justice Imadegbelo of the Edo State Criminal Court 2 passed in the case of kidnap and murder of a Benin son, Sunny Etchie, the Okhaegele of Kolokolo, a community in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, brought against Isaiah Akpani.
“The decision of the Judge to strike out the matter on a no case submission based on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution(DPP) is, to say the least, horrendous and in the view of people with conscience a subtle aiding of criminality by the judiciary.
“After committing the heinous crime Isaiah Akpani took a flight of fancy into hiding and was only arrested a year after. On his arrest he openly confessed to the heinous crime under interrogation.
“We take exception to this judicial heist and we are appealing to the necessary authorities that the case with charge sheet No. B/CD/ 1116M/ 2021 should be revisited and given the right measure of judgment it really deserves.
“We don’t want to believe the numerous claims of filial relationship that we hear exist between the suspect and the judicial officials must have been the reason judgment was turned upside down.
“For a person who openly confessed to a heinous crime in a viral video clip which is in our possession to be left off the hook by a criminal court on a no case submission is a big shame on the judiciary.
“At this junction it is reasonable for us to tender an unreserved apology to President Muhammadu Buhari who set in motion the process of putting the judiciary and some judicial officers under the spotlight at a certain period. We stood with the judiciary then on the belief that the allegations of massive corruption that Buhari was brandishing as his reason for the drastic action was a false claim. Now, we know better.
“Our battle cry is that we need justice in the above mentioned case and anything outside that is calling for a plague that will consume all of those who have an input in this emerging melodrama.”
Meanwhile, the bereaved wife of Sunny Etchie, Bridget, lamented that she has been passing through untold hardship since the death of her husband as she now find it difficult to feed, pay house rent and the school fees of her four children.
She pleaded that Itshekiri born Chief Johnson Atserunleghe(the Iyatsere of Warri) and his cohorts, who are standing trial on allegation of participating in the murder of her husband, should not be allowed to walk so freely on the streets as if they are innocent of the charge against them.
