Hon. Hercules Okoro, Imo House of Assembly member, representing Ohaji/Egbema Constituency in Imo State was granted bail yesterday by an Owerri Magistrate Court.
On the first day this issue came up at the Court, the presiding judge D.V Okoroji, requested that the lawmaker be remanded in the office of Nigeria Correctional Service for assault on another house of assembly member, refusing him bail.
Hon. Hercules Okoro and four of his personal aides (Sunday Ambition, Cosmos Opara, Hillary Kingsley and Azim Reginald) were arrested on Friday 13th November 2020,and arraigned in court on an eight-count charge bordering on assault and breach of public peace.
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The lawmaker was alleged to have charged at and assaulted the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon Amara Iwuanyawnu at Government House, Owerri.
According to the prosecuting counsel, T. O. B. Okey, “the charges are punishable under the relevant criminal laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria applicable in Imo State”, after he claimed that the defendants hit his client with a machete and injured him in the shoulder, opposing the bail request put forth by defence lawyer, Calistus Osundu, arguing that “the high rate of violence in the state should be tamed irrespective of how highly placed the affected individual.”
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The prosecution also accused Okoro of conspiring with the quartet to “attack, assault and cause serious injuries on number four citizen of the state, who represents Nwangele in the Assembly.”
But the defence counsel, Osundu, maintained that the charges were bailable.
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His constituents had staged a peaceful protest in their constituency(Ohaji/Egbema) appealing the release of their lawmaker.
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