9 charged for flogging Rev Father over burial rites

NINE persons from Umudioka village in Awka, Anambra State were yesterday arraigned before an Awka chief magistrate court on a 10 –count charge of flogging and beating up the administrator of St. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral, Awka, Reverend Father Patrick Chukwuma and a community leader, Major Christopher Nwole (rtd), among others, following a disagreement over the dust to dust ritual during the burial ceremony of one Raphael Nwako who died early this year.The Church and some people in the community have been having a face – off over the age –long ritual of widows putting sand in the grave of the their late husbands during burials and the disagreement climaxed in March this year when the villagers allegedly prevented the Reverend Father who was presiding at a burial ceremony from allowing the widow of the late Nwole to perform the ritual for her late husband.Among the charges were that the accused persons assaulted, flogged and snatched the shovel from the Reverend Father when he tried to hand the shovel over to the wife of the deceased to perform the dust to dust ceremony and allegedly used canes on him and other people, including the retired Army Major who supported the position of the Church on the matter.When the charges were read to the defendants, they all pleaded not guilty. Their counsel, Mr. A. N. Onuorah who appeared with six other lawyers, urged the presiding magistrate to use her discretion in granting them bail in line with the provisions of Section 73, sub –section 2 of the laws of Anambra StateHe argued that since the accused persons hailed from the same village with the deceased, the matter should be treated as a communal case that could be settled outside the court, assuring that the defendants would always be available to come to court whenever the matter was to be heard.However, the prosecuting police officer, Mr. Felix Ogu said though he was not opposed to granting the accused persons bail, the was afraid they may resort to harassing members of the church if allowed to go.According to him, when the police granted the accused persons bail earlier, they went back to make more trouble with the church, insisting that the life of the Reverend Father might be in danger if they were allowed to go home.The court however granted them bail in the sum of N200000, with one surety who must be from their village and who must have current tax receipts.The magistrate warned that the accused persons stood the risk of being re- arrested if they breached the law. The matter was adjourned to October 5, 2011 for hearing.Culled from : Vanguard