Female magistrate dies in Enugu prison after getting arrested for stealing

A female magistrate in Enugu is said to have died yesterday morning after taking ill while in prison.

Ifeoma Nnaji, a former magistrate at the Oji River area of the state, had been arrested and remanded in prison along with her husband following allegations of stealing and attempted murder.

They were also charged with giving false information to the police.

Leadership reports:

They were remanded by another magistrate, Mr Chuks Mba, who agreed with the police prosecutor, Mr Peter Eze, that everyone was equal before the law.

The prosecutor had told the court that the accused were arrested for allegedly attempting to kill one Peter Okoro, their tenant, by raising a false alarm and calling an unidentified military man who unlawfully shot him.

Eze also alleged that the accused stole one Tecno F8 phone worth N35, 000 belonging to Okoro.

He said the accused also gave false information to the police that Okoro and one Kingsley Ominyi entered her house with a gun and held her family hostage while demanding for money.

A prison source said the deceased fell ill on Tuesday and visited the prison clinic for treatment but was found dead on her bed in the prison on Wednesday.

The comptroller of prisons in the state, Mr Aloy Uchenwa, said he was busy, when the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) visited his office for confirmation.