An Abuja Magistrate Court has cleared the way for the Police to prosecute a female lawyer with the National Copyright Commission (NCC), Miss Adaorah Ndigwe at the Abuja High Court for attempted murder of Miss Madge Jime, whom she allegedly wilfully ran over with her car with the intention of causing her death.
When the matter came up before Magistrate Celestine Odoh, the prosecutor, Barrister Fidelis Ogbobe told the court that the Commissioner of Police had filed a – four count charge bordering on culpable homicide against Barrister Adaorah Ndigwe at the High Court and intended to begin prosecution there.
Accordingly, Barrister Ogbobe applied to the court to withdraw the First Information Report (FIR) against Ndigwe to avoid an abuse of court process and clear the coast for her prosecution at the High Court.
Counsel for Adaorah, Barrister Emmanuel Oka had no objection to the prosecution’s application to withdraw the FIR against her client.
In his ruling, Magistrate Odoh consented to the withdrawal of the FIR “in order to enable prosecution face the trial of the accuse person at the High Court.
The Magistrate’s decision therefore clears any legal impediment against the commencement of Barrister Ndigwe’s trial on a – four count charge brought against her by the Commissioner of Police.
Outside the magistrate court, our correspondent observed the prosecutor; Barrister Ogbobe serving the new charge preferred against the lawyer and her counsel, Ndigwe and Oka and saw them signing what looked like an undertaking to appear in court for trial.
In the said four count charge, Ndigwe was also accused of trying to destroy her confessional statement, wherein she admitted to hitting Miss Jime with her car.
According to the Police Chief, the lawyer “cancelled, squeezed and disposed” her confessional statement to prevent the police from producing it as evidence in the court of law against her.
The lawyer had taken laws into her hands on the 27th day of February, 2019 when she physically assaulted Miss Jime for playing music in her car too loudly and disturbing others in the estate, where they both lived in Kubwa, Abuja.
Not satisfied, Ndigwe entered her Toyota Matrix car and ran Jime over, inflicting grievous bodily harm, which led to the loss of two teeth and multiple fractures on her legs.
In line with the requirement of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act [ACJA], the police attached list of eight exhibits, which includes the written statements of the defendant, statements of the witnesses, Bill Statement for Miss Jime from Cedacrest Hospitals Limited, Abuja, Medical Report of Miss Jime from Cedacrest Hospitals Limited dated 11th March, 2019.
Others include Clinical Details of Miss Jime from Cedacrest Hospitals Limited dated 18th June 2019, photographs of Miss Jime showing direct degrees of injury with affidavit of compliance, updated Medical Report from Cedacrest Hospital Limited and mutilated statement of the defendant dated 1st March 2019.
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