Police detained Egbulugha for 40 days after Dunu, who escaped from the custody of his abductors, made allegations against him. He had told the police that Egbulugah was the informant who gave Evans details about him. Based on the allegation, the ex-Maydon employee was detained. But reprieve came his way when police arrested Evans, and he categorically exonerated Egbulugha through his oral testimony, which the police also confirmed through a rigorous process that removed every iota of doubt. Consequently, the police arraigned him in court, and on the basis of the solid evidence presented by the prosecutor, the court set him free. In the wake of the release of Egbulugha from police custody, Dunu kicked against the decision of the court and claimed that the release of Egbulugha had put his life and that of members of his family at great risk. In a media report, Dunu said: “I have evidence of the active participation of my pharmacist (Egbulugha) in the deadly operation, and releasing him has worsened my plight as members of my family and myself now live in perpetual fear for our lives. Why should the police release the chief accomplice in my kidnap? I not only heard his voice while in captivity, having been with him since 2003, but also saw him there a few days after the kidnap. He came asking them where I was kept. When they showed him, he opened the door where they kept me in chains and our eyes met. I was about eating when I heard his voice and I normally removed the blindfold. That was how I saw him and I had the greatest shock of my life.” He spoke further: “I feel so bad that the police allowed the court to set him free, thereby endangering my life. I don’t think the police carried out a thorough investigation after the so-called identification parade, which was simply a charade. Even if the court had cause to grant him bail, the police know how to go about such cases by re-arresting him.” However, when Benson Akunya, the lawyer to Egbulugha was contacted to react to the remarks made in the report, he said: “Anyway, what I can tell you is that we have spoken before and that is as much as we can go. The man (Dunu) can say whatever he wants to say. The court has given a return date and whatever we want to do, we want to do it in the courtroom. Very soon, we will take legal steps against him.” In the light of Dunu’s allegations against Egbulugha, Akuya raised the alarm that his client’s life is at risk too, stating that all necessary steps would be taken to secure him. He took a swipe at Dunu, saying: “If you have alleged that Evans knows Egbulugha and that they made calls to each other, Evans has said he doesn’t know him. You also alleged that he stole your goods and when they did an inventory, your goods were intact. “We have given the much we can and let them continue with their own media trial but we will seek redress the proper way and that is the best. We are not interested in joining issues with him. The publication we did is okay for now. We have a proper forum where you can ventilate your grievances,” he said. Akunya added: “Ordinarily he (Egbulugha) is not safe right now but something is being done in that regard. We want to stop making comments until we have done whatever we want to do. You don’t go to court to say you want to win a case by force, but what I know is that even if everything else fails, libel won’t fail. There is nobody that would read whatever the man (Dunu) has been saying and that won’t agree that Egbulugha’s name has been so battered. Let the court make its pronouncement at the right time. If you are not satisfied with the court of first instance, you can always go to the Appeal Court.”]]>
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