He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine for absconding from court to evade trial.
According to his co-inmates and neighbours, Onwudinjo died recently in prison custody due to frustration.
P.M.NEWS gathered that he was so dejected about his conviction and jail term that he decided to terminate his life inside the prison.
He reportedly hit his head several times on the prison wall and his head broke. He later fell down and bled profusely.
The other inmates with him inside the cell raised the alarm and contacted prison officials who took him to their hospital where he eventually died because of the injuries he sustained.
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Presiding Magistrate P.E. Nwaka of Ejigbo Court had jailed Onwudinjo after he pleaded guilty to his attempt to escape from court during trial.
Onwudinjo caused a stir at the court when he suddenly jumped from the dock and ran out of the court where he was facing criminal charge of fraud and assault.
The prosecutor, Mr Femi Adeleye, and some of the court officials ran after him and re-arrested him along the street of Lagos.
His attempt to escape disrupted the court’s proceedings as the litigants rushed out of the court due to the rowdiness that ensued.
Onwudinjo was brought to the court by the police at Shasha division for brutalizing an okada rider, Chika Izuogu for refusing to pay him N120,000 for deliverance prayer.
Onwudinjo and Izuogu clashed at Olukosi Street, Shasha, Lagos where both of them reside.
According to Izuogu, Onwudinjo told him that he had a revelation from God that he needed to embark on seven days deliverance prayer so that his condition would improve for the better.
He said the Enugu State-born Onwudinjo explained to him that the money he asked him to pay covered the fasting and other spiritual materials he would use for the deliverance.
To convince Izuogu that the prayer will work after seven days, he told him that he will receive a divine blessing from God as an unknown person will give him N3 million he would use to start a new life and become rich.
Abia State-born Izuogu who seemed to be convinced told Onwudinjo that he would do the fasting by himself because he had no N120,000 to give him for the deliverance.
This caused a disagreement between them and in the process, Onwudinjo allegedly beat up Izuogu and injured him.
Onwudinjo was arrested and arraigned in court where he attempted to escape before he was re-arrested and remanded in prison custody at Kirikiri.
The court also directed the prosecutor to prepare another contempt charge against him for escaping from the court.
When the prosecutor arraigned him, he pleaded guilty of trying to escape from court and assaulting Izuogu before the court.
He was sentenced accordingly and remanded in prison where he eventually took his life.
When our reporter contacted the prison officials at Kirikiri, they declined to make comment concerning the matter.
A source at the prison confirmed the incident and said the officials have written a report on Onwudinjo’s death..
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