An Abuja Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Life Camp on Thursday ordered Ifeanyi Ogbonna, a lawyer, to be remanded in prison for alleged criminal breach of trust and threat to life.
Ogbonna was arraigned on a three-count charge of criminal breach of trust, defamation of character and criminal intimidation.
The police prosecutor, Cpl. John Ijagbemi, told the court that one Festus Asikhra wrote a petition to the Police Command Headquarters against the accused.
“He was hired as a legal adviser to Festus Group of Companies and failed to discharge his duty after collecting money.
“Ogbonna failed to carry out litigation for the said company. This led to huge financial loss to the company.
“When the company lost confidence in the accused, it terminated his appointment and paid him off with N750,000.
“After collecting the money, the accused threatened to kill Asikhra if he refused to pay him N107.45million,’’ the prosecutor said.
Ijagbemi told the court that during police investigation, the accused continued to threaten to kill the complainant.
Ogbonna pleaded not guilty.
Counsel to the accused, Mr Suleiman Yakubu, in an oral application urged the court to grant his client bail.
“The accused is a senior member of the bar. He is to be presumed innocent until proved guilty. He has no criminal record and he never interfered with police investigation.’’
Chief Magistrate Zainab Bashir said since threat to life in Nigeria could not be treated with levity, “this court rules that a formal application for bail be made by way of motion''.
She ordered the accused remanded in prison pending the formal application for bail and adjourned the matter to Nov. 15.NAN