There was a bit of drama today at the Magistrate Court in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, as Sir Eze Ebegbue appeared before the court on a four-count charge. The charges include forcible entry, breach of public peace, violent land invasion, and theft.
The case, registered as charge number MO/140c/2025, stems from allegations that Ebegbue unlawfully interfered with lands located behind the Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku properties said to be legally owned by the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku.
The prosecution, led by the Directorate of Legal Services from the Nigerian Police Force, Zone 5 Headquarters in Benin, alleged that Sir Eze Ebegbue unlawfully entered the disputed property and acted in a way that could incite public unrest. He is also accused of violently taking over the land by reportedly chasing off workers hired by the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku.
In addition to the land-related charges, Ebegbue is facing allegations of stealing caterpillar batteries valued at ₦2.3 million and diesel worth ₦910,000. The offences fall under various provisions of the Delta State Criminal Code.
Ebegbue, who appeared visibly subdued in court alongside his counsel, Barrister Francis Okolie, pleaded not guilty. He was later granted bail following a heated application by his legal team.
Police sources have confirmed that the arraignment of Sir Eze Ebegbue is part of a broader investigation into a suspected syndicate involved in illegal land sales and violent land grabs in the Ogwashi-Uku area.
According to investigators, one of Ebegbue’s alleged accomplices a serving police inspector attached to the Area Command in Ogwashi-Uku is currently being questioned at the Force Headquarters in Abuja. The inspector reportedly admitted that proceeds from the sale of land in a disputed area, allegedly sold to a company named Pineleaf Estate, were paid into the account of Barrister Francis Okolie, who is now also under investigation as a suspected accomplice.
Okolie is already facing serious charges of terrorism and attempted murder, alongside four others, at the Federal High Court in Asaba. Meanwhile, another suspect—Onyeunor Enweazu, the police inspector’s brother is currently being held at the Federal Correctional Centre in Ogwashi-Uku in connection with related charges involving illegal firearms and malicious damage.
In a separate development, the Delta State High Court sitting in Asaba has ordered the immediate release of a caterpillar bulldozer and farm tools seized by officers from the Ogwashi-Uku Area Command. Justice P.N. Obanor, presiding over the vacation court, ruled that the confiscation was unlawful and reaffirmed previous court orders barring the police from interfering with the peaceful occupation of the land located behind Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku.
Reacting to the court’s ruling and the day’s arraignment proceedings, the Palace Secretary of Ogwashi-Uku, Prince Ifeakanachukwu Emordi, confirmed that Sir Eze Ebegbue had been formally charged and expressed satisfaction with the High Court’s decision.
He issued a strong warning to the public against trespassing on the disputed land without the express permission of the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku, stating that anyone found violating the court’s ruling would face legal consequences. Emordi also condemned what he described as attempts to misuse police officers from the Ogwashi-Uku Area Command to undermine lawful possession of the land. He noted that the Delta State Commissioner of Police and the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 5, Benin, are now fully informed of the court’s directives and are committed to upholding the rule of law.
Read also: Three Arraigned in Delta for Theft and Possession of Stolen Property
