An Ebonyi State Magistrate’s Court, sitting in Abakaliki, the state capital, on Monday, arraigned a 22-year old woman, one Nkeiruka Winifred and two others Chijioke Obasi, 47; and Stanley Mbam, 30, for allegedly practicing bigamy.

It was gathered that the first suspect, Nkeiruka Winifred, allegedly went into another marriage with the third accused person, Stanley Mbam, while her marriage with one Dr. Solomon Nwankwo, still subsists.

ThePunch reported that the accused persons committed the offense at Hausa Quarters and Mbam Street, in the Abakaliki Local Government Area of the state, on October 26, 2019.

Both Winifred and Mbam were arraigned before the court, because they contracted to marry each other, even when the marriage Winifred and Solomon, entered into on September 28, 2017, at the Magistrate’s Court Registry, Ozubulu Nnewi, in Anambra State, still subsisted or was not legally terminated.

The suspects were arraigned before the Magistrate’s Court on Monday, on three counts of conspiracy, bigamy and fraud.

The Police Prosecutor, ASP Mathias Eze, told the court that the offense was punishable under sections 516A (a), 370 and 419 (A) of the Criminal Code Cap. 33, Vol. 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.

According to Eze, bigamy entails a situation whereby a woman is married to two husbands, after contracting a statutory marriage.

The charge read,

“That you Nkeiruka Winifred ‘f’, Chijioke Obasi ‘m’ and Stanley Mbam ‘m’ all of Hausa Quarters and Mbam Street respectively, in the Abakaliki Magisterial District, on the 28th day of October, 2019, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit; bigamy and thereby an offense punishable under section 516A (a) of the Criminal Code Cap. 33, Vol. 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.

“That you Nkeiruka Winifred ‘f’, Stanley Mbam ‘m’ on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District, did contract a fresh marriage with one another when the union between Nkeiruka Winifred ‘f’ and one Dr. Solomon Nwankwo contracted on the 28th day of September, 2017, at the Magistrate’s Court Registry Ozubulu Nnewi, Anambra State, still subsists and thereby committed an offense punishable under section 370 of the Criminal Code Cap. 33, Vol. 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.

“That you Chijioke Obasi ‘m’ on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District, did defraud one Dr. Solomon Nwankwo, of the sum of NN150,000.00 cash and thereby committed an offense punishable under section 419A (a) of the Criminal Code Cap. 33, Vol. 1, Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.”

The Defense Counsel, Barr S. Nweke, applied to the court to grant his clients bail.

The Chief Magistrate, Nnenna Onuoha, granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N100,000.00 each, with one surety in like sum.

She added that the sureties must swear affidavits of means and equally said the addresses of the sureties must be verifiable.

The matter was adjourned till March 6, 2020, for hearing.