Raphael Ede
Enugu
A magistrate in the Enugu state judiciary, Mrs. Ifeoma Nneji, reportedly died inside her cell in Enugu Prisons Tuesday night for alleged complications arising from shock.
She had been remanded along with her husband on Monday after they were arraigned for “conspiracy, false information and attempted murder.”
The deceased magistrate, who served at Oji River Magisterial District before she was recently suspended by the State Judicial Service Commission on account of her involvement in the alleged abduction of a nine-year-old-girl, passed on Tuesday night.
A dependable prison source told our correspondent that she took ill 24 hours after she arrived at the prison for allegedly assaulting a female tenant in her husband’s house.
She and her husband, Mr. Ifeanyi Nneji, along with unnamed person living with them, were said to have beaten and injured the tenant over an undisclosed squabble which resulted in their arraignment.
Controller of Enugu Prisons, Mr. Alloy Uchenna, confirmed the death of the magistrate, but said the Deputy Controller in-charge of the prison was yet to brief him about what transpired.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, said Mrs Nneji and her husband were re-arraigned for another case of conspiracy, false information and attempted murder on Monday and were subsequently remanded in prison.
“They were remanded in Enugu prison custody where she died yesterday. The matter for which they were charged commenced from Abakpa Division and was later transferred to state Criminal Investigations Department (CID) from where they were arraigned and subsequently remanded them in prison. We heard the Magistrate died on Tuesday, but the cause of her death is not yet known.”
