How I disarmed my kidnappers – GUO Motors boss

IN continua-tion of his testimony in his own kidnap case,
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of G.U.O. Motors Limited, Chief
Godwin Okeke, yesterday, told an Onitsha High Court presided over by
Justice Chudi Nwankwo how he managed to disarm one of his kidnappers,
Emeka Eze (a.k.a Emeka Nando).
Emeka Eze is second-in-command of the gang that kidnapped him at the
premises of the All Saints Anglican Church Cathedral, Onitsha,
AnambraState on August 23, 2009.
Okeke recalled that they actually brutalized him with bites, hit him
with machetes, gun butts and other objects all over his body and even
shot him on his left leg while he was struggling with them at the
kidnap point.
He said the serious injury he sustained, apart from the bullet shot,
was the machete cut inflicted on him by Ifeanyi Okafor, the second
defendant, on his left hand.
Okeke who disclosed this at the continuation of his cross-examination
by D. U. Nwafor, counsel to second defendant, Ifeanyi Okafor,
maintained that they attacked him with different types of weapons and
even bit him when he disarmed Emeka Eze.
Okeke noted that the machete cut inflicted on him at their hideout by
Okafor who became furious that he (Okeke) reduced his N1 billion
earlier offer to only N30 million, was the one that gave him serious
wound.
Written statements
Vanguardfurther reports on his written statement at the state Special
Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, headquarters, Awkuzu, dated January 8, 2010
in which Okeke wrote as follows: "They shot me on my left leg and gave
me several machete cuts on my hand. My Lord, I told this court few
minutes ago that they attacked me with several weapons, hit me all
over the body and even bit me severally, but the only one that gave me
this serious wound on my left hand was the second defendant's machete
cut."
Responding to a question by the defence counsel, D. U. Nwafor who
asked:"From the time you were kidnapped at All Saints Church to the
time you were released, did any of them inflict any cut in your hand?"
and he answered: "To the best of my knowledge, my Lord, it was only
that cut from the second defendant that gave me a serious wound, but
the second defendant is here and he is in a better position to tell
the court how many cuts he gave me."
The defence counsel then asked whether he made any statement to SARS
at Awkuzu on January 8, 2010.
Okeke replied: "I made several statements at Awkuzu but I can't
remember their dates."
Again, Nwafor asked him: "How many statements did you make to the
police altogether," to which he replied: "About four or five different
statements but I can't remember all their contents because all my
kidnappers were arrested on different dates."
At this stage, the defence counsel applied to tender a Certified True
Copy, CTC, of Okeke's statement to SARS dated January 8, 2010 as an
exhibit, but the prosecution counsel, Chris Ajugwe, relying on Section
232 of the Evidence Act. 2011, raised an objection on the ground that
the proper foundation had not been laid on tendering a previous
statement as evidence in court, more so, when the defence counsel had
not adduced any cogent reason for making such an application.
Justice Nwankwo who, however, admitted the statement as evidence which
he marked as Exhibit 'C', said the statement so admitted might not
play much role at this early stage, adding that it could only be
considered during the stage of judgment writing.
The court, therefore, adjourned further hearing in the matter till
today, Wednesday, December 4 and Thursday, December 5, for further
cross-examinations of Okeke, the first Prosecution Witness, PW1, by
both the second defence counsel, Nwafor and the third defence counsel,
Chinelo Okongwu.