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The federal government has opposed bail for Ugochukwu Lucky Ibekwe, also known as Chief Onwa, an alleged terrorist and oil bunkerer standing trial at the Federal High Court, Abuja, over the deaths of more than 500 persons and large-scale economic sabotage linked to illegal oil bunkering.
Ibekwe is also facing charges of tampering with oil pipelines, siphoning crude oil and operating illegal refineries without a licence.
He is further accused of paying ₦2 million into a UBA account belonging to one Oliver Amadi, a public officer, allegedly to secure his exoneration from the charges.
The government also alleges that he received ₦1 million from one Musa Mohammed for permission to illegally tap an oil pipeline and agreed to collect ₦2 million weekly for continued operations.
At the proceedings before Justice Salim Ibrahim, defence counsel Damian Okoro, SAN, urged the court to grant his client bail, arguing that the prosecution had not established a prima facie case linking Ibekwe to the alleged deaths of 500 people.
Okoro told the court that his client is a kidney transplant patient who needs to attend to his health and prepare his defence, and gave assurances that Ibekwe would not jump bail or interfere with witnesses or evidence.
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However, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, strongly opposed the application.
He told the court the charges are capital offences carrying punishment ranging from death to life imprisonment, and that bail in such cases can only be granted in exceptional circumstances, which he argued the defence had failed to establish.
Oyedepo dismissed the kidney transplant claim, noting the absence of acceptable medical records from a government hospital as required by law. He cited an assertion by one Uzoma Randle that more than 500 people had died from oil spillage and illegal refining linked to the defendant across various locations, and raised concerns over the need to protect witnesses scheduled to testify at trial. He urged the court to refuse bail and instead order an accelerated trial.
Justice Ibrahim fixed July 1 for ruling on the bail application and commencement of trial.
According to the charge sheet, Ibekwe is alleged to have conspired with Timi Igbo, Alozye, Obinna Cook, Dozy, Wilfred, Prince Adebayo and others still at large between 1999 and 2025 to operate illegal refining sites and tamper with oil pipelines at Imo River community, Ukwa West Local Government Area, Abia State — an offence contrary to Section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2007, punishable under Section 1(17)(a)(b) of the same Act.
He is also charged with knowingly running an organised criminal syndicate involved in destroying critical national infrastructure and operating illegal refineries without a licence, resulting in the deaths of over 500 persons from oil spillage — an offence contrary to Section 2 of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2017.
