Court Drama In Ogwashi-uku: Sir Eze Ebegbue Docked Over Land Invasion, Theft, Violence

Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State – September 30, 2025

There was drama today at the Magistrate Court of Delta State, Ogwashi-Uku Magisterial District, as Sir Eze Ebegbue was arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on forcible entry, breach of peace, violent land invasion, and theft. The case, filed under charge number MO/140c/2025, relates to his alleged unlawful interference with the peaceful possession of lands behind the Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku—lands that legally belong to the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku.

The prosecution, led by the Directorate of Legal Services of the Nigerian Police Force, Zone 5 Headquarters in Benin, accused Ebegbue of forcibly entering the property, conducting himself in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace, and violently invading the land by allegedly chasing away workers employed by the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku. He was also charged with the theft of caterpillar batteries valued at ₦2.3 million and diesel worth ₦910,000. The offences are punishable under various sections of the Criminal Code, Laws of Delta State.

Ebegbue, who appeared in court looking visibly downcast with his lawyer, Barrister Francis Okolie, pleaded not guilty and was subsequently granted after a heated bail application request.

Police sources confirmed to reporters that the arraignment is part of a wider investigation into a syndicate behind unlawful land sales and violent encroachments in Ogwashi-Uku. Investigators disclosed that one of Ebegbue’s alleged accomplices, a serving police inspector attached to the Area Command in Ogwashi-Uku, is currently being investigated at Force Headquarters, Abuja. The inspector is said to have admitted that proceeds from land sold in the judgment area to a company known as Pineleaf Estate were paid into the account of Barrister Okolie, who is now under investigation as an accomplice. Okolie is already facing terrorism and attempted murder charges alongside four others at the Federal High Court in Asaba. Another suspect who is the brother to the police inspector, Onyeunor Enweazu, is currently remanded at the Federal Correctional Centre, Ogwashi-Uku, over related firearms and malicious damage offences.

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In a separate development, the Delta State High Court in Asaba has issued a stern order directing the immediate release of a caterpillar bulldozer and farm tools that had been seized by officers of the Ogwashi-Uku Area Command. Justice P.N. Obanor, presiding at the vacation court, held that the seizure was unlawful and reaffirmed earlier orders restraining the police from interfering with the peaceful possession of the land behind the Polytechnic.

Reacting to the day’s events, the Palace Secretary of Ogwashi-Uku, Prince Ifeakanachukwu Emordi, confirmed the arraignment of Ebegbue and welcomed the High Court’s directive. He cautioned members of the public against trespassing on the land without the consent of the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku, warning that anyone who defies the court’s judgment would face the full weight of the law. He further condemned attempts to use police officers at the Ogwashi-Uku area command to frustrate lawful possession, stressing that the Commissioner of Police in Delta State and the AIG Zone 5, Benin, were now fully aware of the court’s orders and were acting in line with the rule of law.

Prince Emordi also warned that individuals engaging in cyberstalking and defamatory campaigns with their online videos against the traditional institution would be prosecuted in due time, urging the community not to allow themselves to be misled by those bent on destabilizing Ogwashi-Uku.

Today’s arraignment, alongside the court’s orders, marks a major step in the legal battle over the Polytechnic lands, with the authorities vowing to pursue all culprits still at large.