ASABA — HEARING in the case of armed robbery preferred against four accused persons in respect of the death of Chief A.K. Dikibo was again stalled following the inability of the state Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) to provide the requested legal advice from the court to enable it know the next line of action.
As a result of the absence of the legal advice when the case came up yesterday, it was further adjourned to August 30.
However for the first time the accused were brought to the court from custody.
Delta State judiciary had earlier said that it was working hard to ensure early release of legal advice as requested by the police with regards to the trial of the four suspects arraigned before an Ogwashi-Uku Magistrate’s Court.
When the case was last adjourned to yesterday the state Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) said that the DPP should not be blamed over the delay in the commencement of the trial saying that they only got the case file “at the close of work on 22nd of June, 2004.”
The magistrate had, during the last sitting, wanted to know whether his earlier order to the police since May 24 directing them to duplicate and send the case file to the DPP for legal advice had been complied with, the Prosecuting Police Officer, Sergeant Vincent Omorogbe answered in the affirmative.
He said: “Your worship, the file has been sent to the DPP and the copy of the covering letter seeking for the legal advice is here sir.”
As a result of the answer from the Prosecuting Police Officer, the presiding Chief Magistrate Grade II, Mr. S.C. Ehikwe ruled that “pending when information may be filed at the High Court Ogwashi-Uku since the case file has been duplicated, this charge has further been adjourned to 29th of July, 2004 for mention.”
But as at yesterday the DPP had not come up with the legal advice.
Facing a three-count charge of armed robbery attack on the late Chief Dikibo are Solomon Igbinedion (24), Onyeka Emordi (22), Chukwuyem Solomon (20) and Chinedu Boi (17).
One of the three counts stated that “you Solomon Igbinedion, Onyeka Emordi, Solomon Chukwuyem, Chinedu Boi and others at large on the same date and time along Ogwashi-Uku/Kwale Road on the 6th of February 2004 did rob Chief A.K. Dikibo with firearms and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 1 (2) (a) and (b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act Cap 398 Vo. XXII laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.”
