By Ovat Abeng
A business man, Mr Chinedu Anaukwu has dragged a former House of Representatives members from Anambra State, Hon Chinedu Obidigwe to court for beating him up over a comment demanding accountability for his performance as lawmaker.
Obidigwe who represented Anambra East and West Federal Constituency was said to have carried out the act in 2023, shortly before the general election.
According to the victim: “It was in 2023, just before the general election, I had written in Aguleri World Forum, a WhatsApp group, demanding accountability from Obidigwe who was then contesting to return to the House of Representatives.
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“I told him it had been over three years that he had been in the National Assembly, and that before aspiring for re-election, he should give us account of his constituency funds and other achievements in the area.
“His boys were not happy about it, and one day he accosted me with over 13 thugs and ordered them to kill me. They beat me until I lost consciousness,” Anaukwu told journalists.
When the matter came up on Tuesday at Otuocha High Court, Anambra East Local Government Area, counsel to Anaukwu, Chief Gozie Obi (SAN) withdrew the charges against the second and fifth defendants in the matter, who were identified as aides of Obidigwe who participated in the assault.
While the second defendant is said to be already late, the fifth was said not to have been served with the processes.
Obi who spoke to journalists said: “Today is the first time the matter is coming up in court for pretrial hearing and in the course of the proceeding it came to light that the second defendant is late and since you can’t sue a dead person, we had to withdraw against him.
“Also, the fifth defendant was not served, but we wanted case to progress, so we had to withdraw against him too, moreso when we know that the principal defendant is Obidigwe, as all the others were just his aides, and acted under his instruction.”
During the sitting, the principal defendant, Hon Obidigwe was represented by his lawyer, Barr Emmanuel Offoh.
The matter was later adjourned to November 18 for continuation pretrial before full hearing.
It was gathered that the plaintiff, Anaukwu in his prayers is asking for N200million compensation for his ordeals and also conviction.
