The police in Ebonyi state have arraigned a 40-year-old man identified as Uche Awegbe for allegedly threatening to kill the governor of the state, David Umahi.
Awegbe was arraigned before an Abakaliki Magistrate Court.
He allegedly threatened to kill Governor Umahi via text messages sent to the governor’s phone on August 19, 2022.
Meanwhile, the police added that Awegbe had shot two residents of the state dead and caused communal crises in Effium, a crisis prone-community in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state.
The charges against Awegbe read, “That you, Uche Awegbe, on the 19th day of August 2022 at Number 9, Umuoji Street, Abakaliki, did threaten the life of Engr. David Umahi, the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State by sending death threat message to him through your MTN phone number 09039946XXX and thereby committed offence punishable under Section 12 (1) (b) of Ebonyi State Internal Security Enforcement and Related Matters Law, Cap 55, Volume 2 Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.
“That you, Uche Awegbe, and others in charge numbers MAB/69c/2021/MAB/838c/ 2021 and MAB/891c/2021 on the 5th day of November 2021 at Effium community, Ohaukwu Local Government Area within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did go armed with guns and machetes in public without lawful occasion in such a manner as to cause terror and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 80 of the Criminal Code, Cap 33, Volume 1 Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.”
The court did not take the defendant’s plea since the offences allegedly committed are capital.
The Magistrate, Linda Ogbodo, ordered that Awegbe should be remanded at a correctional facility in the state.
The matter was adjourned till October 10.
