A Magistrate Court sitting in Enugu State has remanded a woman, Mrs. Ujunwa Ugwuoke in prison custody for the alleged murder of a 9-year-old girl, Precious Korshima.
Mrs Ugwuoke was arrested for allegedly beating the minor, who was her house help to death and subsequently dumping her corpse in a bush where it was burnt.
On Thursday, January 19, 2023, the police in Enugu, arraigned the suspect before a Chief Magistrates’ Court Grade 1, presided over by U.I. Jideofor on two count charges bordering on murder.
The charge marked MEN/14C/2023, Commissioner of Police Vs Ugwuoke Ujunwa was read to the accused person in English and interpreted and explained to her in Igbo.
Count 1 stated thus: “That you Ugwuoke Ujunwa ‘f’ and others now at large on the 9th day of November 2022 at about 0900hours at No. 2, Fidelity Estate Okpara Avenue, Enugu in Enugu North Magisterial District did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit; Murder and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 494 of the Criminal Code, Cap 30, Vol. 11 Revised Laws of Enugu State of Nigeria 2004”.
Count 11 added, “That you Ugwuoke Ujunwa ‘f’ and others now at large on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District did unlawfully kill Precious James Korshima ‘f’ aged 9 years by beating her all over her body with stick which caused her death and dump and set her corpse ablaze in a refuse dump site at Ugbo Nwagidi village, Enugwu-Uno Ituku, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 274(1) of the Criminal Code, Cap 30, Vol. 11 Revised Laws of Enugu State of Nigeria 2004”.
Inspector Bonaventure Nnadozie appeared for the prosecution while Olu Omotayo Esq. President of Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network(CRRAN) held a brief viewing for the family of the deceased.
Inspector Nnadozie thereafter tendered the 3 original case file in respect of the case and applied that the 12 witnesses listed in the case file be bound over to testify at the High Court give evidence.
The Court admitted the 3 case files and Exhibits. The three case files comprised of case files from New Haven Police Station, Anti-kidnapping Base and that of Homicide Section of State CID, Enugu.
The accused didn’t take plea in the case as the Magistrate declared that the court lacked jurisdiction to try the murder case.
The court however, bound over the 12 witnesses in the sum of thousand Naira (N400,000) to give evidence at the High Court when called upon to do so.
The accused was ordered to be remanded in the Enugu Maximum Correctional Centre and the police case files admitted as exhibits ordered to be transferred to the office of the Attorney General for Advice. The case was subsequently adjourned to March 2, 2023.
