Drama ensued at Awka Court 3 of the Anambra Stage Judiciary as two sureties in a case of murder of a construction worker, Mr Anayo Nworah, applied to withdraw from the case.
Nworah, 28-year-old father of five from Irunnebo village, Enugwu-Agidi, Njikoka LGA, was allegedly beaten to death by some youth of the community on November 11, 2021 when Mr Chukwuebuka Onuorah was President General of Enugwu-Agidi Brotherly Union (EBU-Nigeria).
Two sureties in the murder trial of Chukwuebuka Anuta before the Anambra State High Court, Awka Division, on Friday , 2026 formally applied to withdraw their suretyship in the matter.
The application, brought by way of a motion on notice with Suit No. MN/18M/2026, is pending before the court presided over by Justice Gloria. Chinyere. Anulude.
The applicants, Edwin Obiora Samuel and Chineze Israel Anuta, stated that they no longer wish to remain sureties for the defendant.
An order of this Honourable Court permitting Edwin Obiora Samuel and Israel Chineze Anauta, both of Iruobieli Village, Enugwu-Agidi, Njikoka Local Government Area LGA of Anambra State, to withdraw as sureties to Chukwuebuka Anuta in Charge No. MNJ/75C/2022 between Chukwuebuka Anuta and the Commissioner of Police
And for such further order(s) as the Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.
In support of the application, the sureties deposed to an affidavit stating that the defendant was admitted to bail on 7 September 2022 by the Anambra State High Court, Awka Division, sitting as a Vacation Court, presided over by Justice N. L. Oyeka, and that they executed the bail bond and submitted all required documents to secure his release.
They further averred that after the defendant was granted bail, he failed to comply with the reasons to which they signed his bali bond and began issuing threats to their lives and causing disturbances within the community, thereby endangering their safety.
“We now seek to withdraw our suretyship in the said charge,” the applicants stated in their affidavit.
The sureties emphasised that the application was made in good faith, without malice, and solely for the preservation of their personal safety and uphold the tradition of the c9mmunuty in related case.
The applicants disclosed that when the matter was called earlier , it was notice that the case file was not available in the court.
They also noted that the defendant was absent from court and not represented by counsel.
The court further inquired whether the defendant had been served with the application,the applicant lawyer Mrs Victoria Okani confirmed that service was duly effected and they acknowledged.
The Court want to know about the case despite the absence file,
Okani explained that the application concerned a motion by sureties to withdraw their suretyship in Charge No. MNJ/75C/2022.
In his ruling, Justice Gloria Anulude noted that, in the absence of the case file and given the circumstances, the matter could not proceed.
The court therefore adjourned the case to Friday, 30 January 2026, for hearing of the motion on notice.
Speaking to journalists after the court session, one of the sureties, Chineze Israel Anuta , stated that their decision to withdraw stemmed from the defendant’s failure to comply with the conditions that necessitated the execution of the bail bond.
According to him, “Mr. Chukwuebuka Anuta has been threatening our lives and creating unrest in the village. We cannot continue to stand surety for someone who disobeys court orders and puts our lives at risk.”
The case arose from a petition submitted by Dr. Chinedu Ikeanyi, a concerned citizen of Enugwu-Agidi and son of Late His Royal Highness, Igwe DavisonOkafor. Ikeanyi, to Anambra Governor, Prof Charles Soludo, with copies sent to the Commissioner of Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and other security agencies, over the alleged killing of Anayo Nwora in Awka, the state capital.
Following the petition,a request for justice for late Anayov Nwora family, his wife and 5 children was called.
Chukwuebuka Anuta and others involved need to be arrested and made to stand trial before the High Court on charges connected to the incident.