Johnkennedy Uzoma-Owerri
A magistrate’s court in Owerri has remanded the former deputy governor of Imo State, Engr. Gerald Irons in prison custody
The presiding magistrate, C. N Ezerioha, after hearing the prosecution counsel and defence counsel, ordered that Irona be remanded in Owerri correctional center.
She said that she doesn’t have the jurisdiction to hear the matter.
The Counsel to the ex-deputy governor, S. I Imo, moved a motion that Irona be granted bail on self-recognition.
Imo said that if the ex-deputy governor could not be granted bail on self-recognition, a state lawmaker, Hon.Frank Ugboma, representing Oguta state constituency in the Imo State House of Assembly, was willing to take him on bail.
But the lead prosecutor, Sunday Ogbuji, opposed the bail application, saying that the magistrate lacked the jurisdiction to hear the matter.
The lead prosecutor also added that one of the charges preferred on the ex-deputy governor bothered on felony, adding that only a high court judge could grant Irona bail.
After hearing both parties, the magistrate ordered that the ex-deputy governor be reminded in prison custody.
In her ruling, the magistrate agreed with the prosecution counsel that she lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter or grant the accused bail.
The jurist, while ordering that Irona be remanded in Owerri Correctional centre, said that the prosecution counsel should make all documents available to the defence counsel to enable them to take the next legal line of action.
She also ordered that the case file be transferred to the state Department of Public Prosecutions.
The three-count charge read as thus “that you Hon Gerald Irona, sometime in January 2020, at Owerri in the Owerri magistrate district, did conspire with others now at large, to commit felony to wit: treason and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 37(2) of the criminal code, cap c 38, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as applicable in Imo state.
“That you, Hon Gerald Irona, sometime in January 2020, at Owerri in the Owerri magistrate district, did make several utterances to the effect that you will make Imo state ungovernable and immediately afterward hoodlums levied several attacks on Imo state with the intent to intimidate or overawe the governor of Imo state and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 37 of the criminal code, cap, c 38, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as applicable in Imo state.
“That you, Hon Gerald Irona, on the 15th day of January 2020, at Owerri in the Owerri magistrate district, do convert to your use two land cruiser jeeps ( V8 and v6) and one Toyota Hilux vehicle valued four hundred and Ninety-three million naira property of Imo state government thereby committed an offence punishable under section 390 ( 9) of the criminal code, cap c 38, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as applicable in Imo state.”
Briefing journalists after the court rose, one of the defence counsels, Kissinger Ikeokwu, expressed optimism that the ex-deputy governor would be granted bail at the high court.
Ikeokwu, the Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party, said that Irona’s ordeal was politically contrived.
The Imo State Police Command on Wednesday arrested Irona at his Owerri residence and refused to grant him bail, and was arraigned on Thursday.
