Four years after being remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) facilities over allegations of conspiracy and attempted murder, Nonso Nwoye has been granted bail.
Justice Onyinye Anumonye of the High Court of Anambra State, Anaocha Judicial Division has granted Nwoye, second defendant bail in the sum of N1 million and a surety who must be a member of his family.
Anumonye based the Court’s decision to admit the second defendant to bail on the refusal of the Investigation Police Officer(IPO) to come and give evidence in Court since after his first appearance in the Court on October 17, 2025.
The IPO was said to since then refused to come again despite several adjustments to enable him to come and testify.
The Judge stated that the prosecution counsel during the sitting of the Court on those adjourned dates could not give any convincing reason for the absence of the IPO, saying it was clear that he was not willing to come and testify.
Anumonye said it was unjust to continue to keep the defendants in the Nigerian Correctional Service facilities.
He, however, refused the prayers of the lawyers of the two defendants: Joy Nzekwe for the 1st Defendant (Chibueze Uzuegbunam), and Dr Nnamdi Chukwudebelu for the 2nd Defendant (Nonso Nwoye) for the Court to acquit their clients and strike out the case on the ground that the prosecution had failed to come and give evidence to prove the charges against their clients.
Granting the prayer of the prosecution lawyer, Fabian Okeke for further adjournment of the case, Justice Anumonye ordered the defendants’ lawyers to move their bail applications for their defendants if they filed any.
Counsel (lawyer) to the 1st Defendant, Fabian Okeke told the Court that did not file any motion for bail of the defendant because he was not the actual state counsel doing the matter; that he was just holding brief for his colleague.
But the counsel to the 2nd defendant, Dr Chukwudebelu said he had one he filed on 14th of June, 2024.
Ruling on the bail application, Anumonye granted Nwoye bail, and, warned that in addition to the N1 million and a surety who must be a member of his family, such surety must also have a National Identification Number (NIN), a bank statement proving that the person has such amount in the bank and that both proofs must be deposited with the Court’s registry.
The Judge also made further order that the 2nd Defendant must not issue threats to the Normal Complainant in any manner, and, adjourned further trial of the case to 17th July, 2026, for the IPO to come and give evidence.
“For balance of justice, I will not strike out the case, but, the Court will consider the bail application for the 2nd Defendant, so that he can go home since he has been in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service since four years now and the prosecution has not shown that he is ready to come and give evidence,” Justice Anumonye stated.
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