Panic as Gunmen Storm Court Premises, Abduct Female Witness in Lagos

 

Chioma Ozor

 

Mrs Chioma Ozor, a female witness in a criminal matter before the Ejigbo magistrate court was abducted in the court premises by gunmen after she refused to withdraw a criminal assault suit she filed in Lagos.

 

PM News reports that Ozor was abducted by three armed men and was taken to an unknown place where she was asked to make statement on tape recorder.

 

According to her, among her abductors included, Okwudili Okeke and two other unidentified persons who are now at large.

 

After the incident, the matter was reported to the police at Ejigbo division who have waded into the matter to arrest the suspects.

 

The incident happened after Ozor went to court were she was billed to testify against Okeke over a criminal assault on her when she was returning home.

 

Okeke was arrested by the police and charged before the court with assault after he stabbed Ozor in their resident in Abaranje in Ikotun area of Lagos where both reside.

 

It was gathered that after the incident, Okeke packed out of the house to an unknown place from where he was coming to face trial. Okeke was later granted bail and since then has being coming to court after efforts to settle the matter out of court failed.

 

Okeke reportedly pleaded with Ozor to withdraw the matter but she refused and insisted that she wanted justice for the trauma she passed through after the assault.

 

When the matter came up, Ozor said while she was returning after the trial, a green Honda car stopped in front of her and one of them came out and pointed a gun to her face, forcing her to enter the car.

 

She said she was afraid and she complied and entered the car.

 

She said she met Okeke with two other suspects inside the car who still pointed a gun and brought a tape recorder and ordered her to say contrary to what she told police.

 

Ozor narrated, while the recording was ongoing, they brought out a cloth to cover her face as they drove around the city for several hours.

 

She said they asked her to say that she was the person that stabbed herself contrary to what she reported to the police, adding that, Okeke did not assault her.

 

She said she was also asked to say negative things against herself with a threat to kill her if she refused. Thereafter they threw her out at Akowonjo round-about area and drove off.

 

According to her, before they allowed her to go, they warned her not to tell anyone what transpired and if she reports to the police, they will trace her and kill her.

 

She said, since the incident happened last week, she has been terribly afraid for her life, noting that, they might decide to kill her anytime.

 

She said her husband traveled when the incident happened and when he returned, she told him what happened and the matter was reported to the police at Ejigbo division.

 

A police source at the station confirmed the incident and said the police have commenced investigation on the matter.

 

Efforts to locate Okeke failed as our reporter could not locate where he lives.