A 50-year-old murder suspect, Bethlehem Nwanlia, reportedly slumped and died shortly after proceedings began at the Bayelsa State High Court in Yenagoa on Tuesday.
Nwanlia was standing trial alongside two other defendants over alleged conspiracy, kidnapping and multiple murder when the incident occurred at Court 11.
He reportedly collapsed in the court’s holding area shortly after Justice Amadise Michael Ekadi adjourned judgment in the case to October 27, 2026.
According to people who witnessed the incident, Nwanlia suddenly clutched his chest before collapsing.
Officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service, police personnel and lawyers reportedly attempted to revive him, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
A medical personnel was subsequently called to examine him, after which his body was taken to a hospital for further confirmation.
The Bayelsa State Judiciary’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Enoch Okunobo, confirmed the incident to newsmen on Tuesday evening.
He said the deceased’s body had been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) mortuary.
“Somebody collapsed and died today. He was a murder suspect, who had been coming to court. His corpse has been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC),” Okunobo said.
Nwanlia and the two other defendants were facing allegations linked to the 2022 killing of three people in Kalaba community, Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
The allegations against the defendants had not been finally determined by the court before Nwanlia’s death.
Reports also indicated that the deceased had experienced health complications while in custody.
However, authorities had yet to establish the cause of his death as of the time of filing the report.
The incident reportedly caused confusion among court officials, lawyers, security personnel and others present at the court premises.
When contacted, the Bayelsa State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Musa Mohammed, said he was not aware of the incident.
Mohammed, however, promised to make inquiries and revert, but had yet to do so as of the time of filing the report.
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