A 67-year-old man, Mr. Mbaonu Mbaonu, has passionately appealed to the Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, to intervene in the case of his 30-year-old son, Obediah Mbanonu, who was sentenced to death by hanging over an alleged phone theft in Igbere, Bende Local Government Area of the state.
Mr. Mbaonu maintained that his son was wrongly accused and framed, insisting that Obediah is innocent of the crime for which he was convicted in 2020.
Speaking during an interview with journalist Promise Uzoma Okoro (PUO) at his residence in Aba, the distraught father alleged that the case against his son was hastily handled due to his inability to pay a bail sum demanded by the police.
“I was asked to pay ₦400,000. Their Oga later demanded ₦450,000. I did not have such money. Before I could return the next day, they told me he had already been charged to court and remanded in prison,” he narrated.
According to Mr. Mbaonu, his son had been living with him in Aba, where they jointly ran a small-scale business. He explained that they had travelled to their hometown in Igbere on December 29, 2016, to attend a burial when Obediah was arrested by members of a local vigilante group.
He alleged that the arrest followed the discovery of a mobile phone belonging to one Engr. Kalu Kalu, which was found in his son’s possession.
“When I was informed that the vigilante had arrested my son, I rushed there and saw how they had beaten him and even pierced his hands with nails. I asked him what he did, and he told me he bought the phone from someone. They then accused him of being an armed robber,” he said.
The elderly man further lamented that despite repeated efforts to obtain his son’s case file, he has been told on several occasions that the file cannot be found, raising concerns about due process and transparency.
Appealing emotionally to Governor Alex Otti, Mr. Mbaonu said his family’s poor background has left them helpless, with no one to assist them legally or financially.
“Even if this is the only thing God can do for me, I am ready to die if my son can regain his freedom. He is my only son. I am begging our Governor to come to our rescue,” he pleaded.
He also emphasized that no firearm or weapon was found on his son, adding that police officers thoroughly searched their house without discovering any incriminating evidence.
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