A man standing trial for murder in Bayelsa State died on Tuesday after he collapsed in the holding area of the High Court in Yenagoa.
The defendant, Bethlehem Nwanlia, 50, fell shortly after Justice Amadise Michael Ekadi adjourned judgement in his case to October 27, 2026. The incident happened at Court 11.
Nwanlia was said to have complained suddenly of chest pain before he collapsed. Authorities have not yet established what caused his death.
What happened in the court
Correctional officers, police personnel and lawyers reportedly rushed to help him and tried to revive him. Medical personnel were then called to the scene.
Nwanlia was taken to a hospital, where he was confirmed dead. His body was later placed in the mortuary of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa.
The incident reportedly caused confusion among court officials, lawyers, security personnel and others on the court premises.
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The Public Relations Officer of the Bayelsa State Judiciary, Mr Enoch Okunobo, confirmed the death. He said Nwanlia had been a regular attendee at the court in connection with the criminal case.
“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.
The case and the questions left open
Nwanlia was on trial with two other defendants. They faced allegations of conspiracy, kidnapping and the murder of three persons in Kalaba community, in Yenagoa Local Government Area. The alleged killings took place in 2022.
The court had not finally decided the allegations against any of the defendants before Nwanlia died.
Sources said Nwanlia had experienced some health challenges while in custody. The report did not state what those problems were.
The Bayelsa State Police Command was reportedly contacted. Its Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Musa Mohammed, said he knew nothing about the incident.
“I am not aware of the incident,” Mohammed said. He said he would make inquiries and get back to the reporter.
The cause of death is still unknown pending medical verification.
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