Imo Missing Bailout Funds: Watchdog Publisher Granted Bail

*Prosecutor fails to prove allegations of uprising *Watchdog legal team insists on no offence

The legal fireworks instituted by Uche Nwosu, Chief of Staff to Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State against Community Watchdog Newspapers commenced last Monday December 14, 2015 at Magistrate Court of Owerri Judicial Division, presided over by Magistrate Njemanze.

Comrade Precious Nwadike [pictured above] who is also the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Community Watchdog Newspapers had arrived the Police Headquarters as a law abiding citizen specifically to honour an invitation following his arrest and detention last Thursday December 10, 2015.

He was there and then conscripted to the premises of the Owerri High Court  even though the Police had told him they were heading to the corporate  office of Community Watchdog at 49 Zander Street, Owerri, to conduct a search. 

According to a Government House source, their ploy was to use the court presiding judge or Magistrate to detain or remand Nwadike in prison custody to enable the claimant, Uche Nwosu and co. to perfect their evil intentions.

Nonetheless, as God  will have it, the magistrates were quite professional to handle the case or even indisposed enough to appear for any hearing on the spur of the moment. 

The matter was later heard at Magistrate court 9.

By the time the case commenced at about noon, yesterday, Monday December 14, 2015, the legal team of Community Watchdog led by Barr. Ngozi Olehi, the former Governorship Candidate of Labour party in the April 2015 gubernatorial election in Imo State and Barr. D. C. Ndiokwere. 

Others include Barr-s Obinna Nwachukwu and Ephraim Okafor who were handy with their defence to forestall any sinister, diabolical and dubious moves by Uche Nwosu’s team.

The  prosecuting witness had introduced the case as that of the Commissioner of Police against the Publisher of Community Watchdog Newspapers, Comrade Precious Nwadike contrary to the widely circulated writ of summons.

In the summons, the Plaintiff, Uche Nwosu is claiming #200 Million against  Community Watchdog as damages for “alleging that his foreign cook, one Henry, had fled with billions of Naira which were alleged to be part of the bail-out funds placed in his care as Chairman of the three-man disbursement committee.

The committee was made up of other members such as Dr. Paschal Obi, Principal Secretary to the Governor and the Accountant General of Imo state. 

Having presented the matter, the public prosecutor, Mr. Onwuchekwa who claimed to be ready for the epic trial, opposed the oral application for bail as appropriately and lawfully canvassed for by Barr.  Olehi.

However, when Mr. Onwnuchekwa of Owerri Ministry of Justice failed to convince the Magistrate on why the Publisher of Community Watchdog should not be granted bail since he never jumped bail between Friday December 11, and Monday December 14.

After his release from detention and Monday December 14, the defendant had walked briskly into the State Police Headquarters to honour the invitation.

The Magistrate chided the public prosecutor, Mr. Onwuchekwa for believing that “not granting Nwadike bail will stop Community Watchdog from  further publications” or existence and on that note he discarded the no bail plea from Onwuchekwa.

Adding voice, D.C. Ndiokwere who argued from point of law, stated that there was no reason for refusing or objecting to the application of bail by the respondent except perhaps the public prosecutor and Uche Nwosu wish to reintroduce decree 4, of 1984 from the back yard.

He explained that Comrade Precious Nwadike  is entitled to his fundamental Human Rights to existence, expression, freedom and association which he said, must be enforced in the circumstance.

He argued that the ‘claimants’ have the onerous responsibility of attempting to fault the various allegations that indeed Uche Nwosu’s cook Henry, a native of the Republic of Benin had disappeared, stealing with him billions of Naira, allegedly from part of the bail-out funds which were kept in a vault inside Uche Nwosu’s house.

Many have argued that the vault may not have the kind of space enough to contain as much as #10B having witnessed how it was broken into or forced open at Uche Nwosu’s Akanchawa Udenwa mansion.

The epic legal battle is the climax of the series of publications, allegations and denial on the run away cook whose disappearance resulted to the arrest and detention of about 9 persons as suspects. 

Among the detainees, some of who were in police cell for close to four weeks without charge in court, include a police officer, Gift Udenwoke of New Owerri Police Division who admitted seeing the cook leave the premises with his luggages but was never instructed to stop or search such baggages.

Another was Ibrahim from Adamawa who was even in faraway Adamawa when the cook eloped allegedly with billions.

The case was adjourned till January 11, 2016.

Comrade Precious Nwadike

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