A former governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State, Walter Okeke appears to have gotten into more troubled waters as a High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has issued a bench warrant for his arrest just the Rivers State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Zacchaeus Adangor, SAN, also took over his prosecution.

The bench warrant was issued on Friday, May 12, 2023 by Justice Chinwendu Nwogu in Port Harcourt after hearing in the case of an alleged theft of N800 Million worth of oil drilling pipes brought against Okeke, who is also the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Richwood & Richland International, an Oil and Gas consulting firm, by the Nigeria Police Force.

This second bench warrant follows on the heels of previous one issued by a Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt in 2022 where the case was initially filed.

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in the course of executing the bench warrant arrested the fleeing Okeke in Abuja and brought him to Port Harcourt where he was remanded at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre for weeks but later secured a N100 million bail.

On Friday, May 12, 2023 the office of the State Attorney General initiated a ‘discontinue proceeding’ before Chief Magistrate, Amadi Nna, and moved the case to the High Court 24 where Justice Chinwendu Nwogu will take over proceedings. Prof. Adangor also secured a bench warrant to arrest the former guber aspirant, Okeke.

In his ruling same day, Nwogu said the defendants were served, and that their objection was filed the previous day, May 11, 2023 against mention of May 12, 2023), stating that it was confirmed that the defendant refused to appear in court on Friday, May 12, 2023.

He said the court was yet to receive the notice of objection to the case the defendant said he filed, declaring that the defendant refused to come to court.

“The court must be vigilant, and must hear every objection before it. We are aware of the Rivers State Court processes law which says all objections will come on address stage.”  

“The interest of justice cannot be used to please a party in court. It is mandatory that the objection would be taken at address stage. I cannot fix hearing on the objection. That rule is binding on me. Again, this case is not charged under federal law but under Rivers State law. Objection is thus in error.”

“It is disrespectful. He has refused to appear. I therefore make the following orders: Order of Bench Warrant; Order to arrest him detain him in the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre; Order to empower the Police to execute this order and bring him to court on next adjourned day.”

The case was adjourned to May 26, 2023, for taking plea.

Okeke hails from Enugwu village of Nanka in Orumba North local council area, but lives in his own compound at the Trans-Amadi area of the Garden City where the complainant, Ifeanyi Amaonye, allegedly stocked the oil drilling pipes and other heavy industrial equipment.

Okeke was accused of moving the equipment with trucks and heavy-duty equipment to unknown location. The police and later soldiers were said to have been invited and they halted the alleged looting.