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Alleged Kidnap: Court To Deliver Judgment On Evans February 2022

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An Ikeja High Court has reserved judgment for February 25, 2022, in the case of alleged kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike (alias Evans), and five others charged with conspiracy and kidnapping.

Evans co-defendants are Uche Amadi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Aduba.

The defendants are accused of kidnapping Donatus Dunu, the Managing Director of Maydon Pharmaceuticals Ltd. on February 14, 2017.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that contrary to false viral online reports, this is the first judgment to be fixed in any of the five kidnapping cases currently involving Evans in the high courts of Lagos State.

Evans is facing trial alongside diverse co-defendants before Justices Hakeem Oshodi of an Ikeja High Court, Oluwatoyin Taiwo of an Ikeja Special Offences Court, and Adedayo Akintoye of an Igbosere High Court.

On Friday, Mr Oshodi gave the judgment date after oral submissions of final written addresses by prosecution and defence counsel.

Evans’s counsel, Victor Opara (SAN), while making his oral submission, asked the court to discharge and acquit Evans of the two-count charge before it.

In a final written address dated November 1, Mr Opara had said there was no direct evidence linking Evans to the alleged crimes.

He told the court that Mr Dunu, the alleged kidnap victim, said to be blindfolded throughout his 88-day ordeal, did not state to the court in his testimony, that he could physically identify Evans.

“There is also the fatality of the prosecution’s case that there was no identification parade to identify the first defendant (Evans).

“There was no evidence before your lordship to show that PW2 (Dunu) had a clear opportunity of identifying the first defendant,” the SAN said.

Lead prosecution counsel, Adebayo Haroun, via a final written address dated November 30, had asked the court to convict the defendants as charged.

On Evans, he said: “When a man has confessed to the crime, you do not need an identification parade.

“There is direct evidence of PW2 (Dunu) testifying of how he was kidnapped, how he escaped, and the roles the defendants, each, played.

“We have circumstantial evidence linking the first defendant (Evans) to the crime, and we also have confessional statements and video recordings of him.

“We urge your lordship to convict the defendants as charged,” Haroun prayed.

NAN reports that the defendants were arraigned before Oshodi on August 31, 2017, on a two-count charge of conspiracy and kidnapping.

According to the prosecution, Mr Dunu was kidnapped on Ilupeju Road, Lagos State, and the defendants collected 223,000 Euros as ransom from his family.

The prosecution closed its case against the defendants on January 10, 2020, after presenting four witnesses, including Mr Dunu.

Defence closed its case on August 3, 2020, after the six defendants testified.

During their respective testimonies, all the defendants said that they were innocent.

(NAN)

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President Tinubu Inaugurates Three Gas Projects, Says They’ll Drive Economic Growth [PHOTOS]

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Nigeria’s President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has inaugurated three critical gas infrastructure projects in Nigeria.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, AHL, and Sterling Oil Exploration & Energy Production Company Limited (SEEPCO) jointly control the 200 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d) AHL Gas Processing Plant 2 (GPP – 2), which Tinubu officially opened.

It is an addition to Delta’s Kwale Gas Processing Plant (GPP – 1). Additionally, the president officially opened the ANOH-OB3 CTMS gas pipeline project and the ANOH gas processing plant, both operated by NNPC and AGPC Seplat Energy and situated in the state of Imo.

In a virtual speech, Tinubu stated that the three gas projects help the federal government’s goal of reducing gas flaring and increasing the value of the country’s gas resources.

Tinubu also commended NNPC and other partners for completing the projects within 11 months, and not two years as earlier planned.

“It is pleasing that approximately 500MMscf of gas in aggregate would be supplied to the domestic market from these two gas processing Plants, which represents over 25% incremental growth in gas supply,” he said.

“In practical terms, this is more gas to the power sector, gas-based industries and other critical segments of the economy.”

The president said the federal government is stepping up its coordination of other landmark projects and initiatives to ensure the earliest realisation of gas-fueled prosperity in the country.

He also assured investors in the energy space that “this is an investment enabling the government and we will not relent in facilitating the ease of doing business”.

“The theme of this commissioning, ‘From Gas to Prosperity; Renewed Hope,’ must be adopted by all gas sector participants and would-be investors as a clarion call to ramp up efforts to accelerate investment and developments of projects in the gas sector on a win-win basis,” Tinubu added.

He further commended NNPC and its partners, SEEPCO and Seplat Energy, for the laudable and value-adding projects.

On his part, Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer (GCEO) of NNPC, said the three infrastructure projects will enable additional gas processing capacity and also increase the supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), thereby, reducing the dependency on importation.

“NNPC is currently executing several major gas infrastructure projects such as the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano pipeline with the associated power plants, the full delivery of the wider OB3 project shortly and also progressing with other initiatives such as fertiliser and petrochemical plants, small and large scale LNG and floating LNG” Kyari said.

He said the projects present the opportunity to monetise the country’s abundant natural gas resources, by expanding access to energy to support economic growth, industrialisation, and job creation.

In his remarks, Ekperikpe Ekpo, minister of petroleum resources (gas), said in keeping with the climate control agenda, the government decided to use gas as the transition fuel to achieve green energy by 2060.

“The decision to eliminate fuel subsidies at the start of your administration has compelled increased spending in the upstream and midstream gas development, and the use of gas as an appropriate, more cost-effective, and cleaner alternative to diesel and gasoline,” Ekpo said.

The minister added that the plant will promote rapid industrialization in Nigeria and boost power generation.

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BREAKING: Portable Remains In Police Custody After Failure To Meet Bail Conditions

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Popular street musician, Habeeb Okikiola, also known as Portable, has remained in police custody for failing to meet the bail conditions for his release.

It was earlier reported that he was arrested for allegedly refusing to pay the N14 million debt he incurred when he bought a G-Wagon from a car dealer in Lagos State.

According to the Lagos State Police Command’s spokesman, Benjamin Hudenyin, the singer will remain in detention pending when he’s able to produce a reliable surety before he can be granted bail.

“He has presented no reliable surety yet so he (Portable) is still with us,” Hundeyin said.

 

More to come…

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48-Yr-Old Nigerian Man Who Killed Wife With Son’s Skateboard In UK Jailed For Life

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Olubunmi Abodunde, a 48-year-old Nigerian man, who murdered his wife, Taiwo, with his son’s skateboard and blamed his loss of control on medication has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the United Kingdom.

Taiwo died in November 2023 from severe brain injuries sustained after the tragedy in their Newmarket home.

But according to the BBC, he acknowledged killing Taiwo, who had “catastrophic brain injuries.”

The severity of the attack at their Exning Road home that resulted in her death was observed by the Ipswich Crown Court. Abodunde will not be eligible for parole for at least 17 years in imprisonment.

The court was informed that Abodunde was arrested following a domestic incident that occurred the day before Taiwo passed away.

Contact with his spouse was prohibited by the terms of his release.

The next morning, despite these conditions, Abodunde went to the family home to retrieve a mobile phone.

Taiwo, a mother of three, was returning home from her overnight shift as a health care assistant.

Prosecutor Stephen Spence KC told the court that Abodunde was aware of his wife’s shift pattern and CCTV showed she had arrived back at about 09:12.

The court was informed that two officers had attended the property at about 09:20 to speak with Mrs Abodunde about the previous day’s domestic incident.

Spence stated, “Only the defendant now knows what happened. The officers repeatedly knocked on the door and notified them of their presence but got no response or heard any calls for help.”

However, between 40 and 50 “thuds” were heard and it was believed to be Abodunde attacking his wife.

Officers were given clearance by senior police officials to enter the property at 09:45, the court was told.

Spe4nce added, “When they entered the front door, they immediately found the lifeless body of Mrs Abodunde with her skull smashed in.”

Meanwhile, a postmortem examination revealed that Taiwo had suffered “catastrophic brain injuries”.

She also had injuries that were consistent with her body being “stamped on” as well as being hit with a skateboard.

This was found at the property covered in blood and fragments of skull.

The court was told the victim had also been strangled.

Meanwhile, the defendant could be heard sobbing from the dock as Spence addressed the court.

Police forced their way into the home after hearing bangs.

“It seems to me that he was waiting for confrontation. There is no debate that there was not going to be confrontation in my view,” he stated.

Akudolu said Abodunde “was a very well-respected man” both here in the UK and in Nigeria where the couple had previously moved from.

He had been a local councillor in Nigeria and had a local street in the country named after him.

The court heard the couple had a “history of frequent disputes over bills and money” with some “low-level violence” involved.

Akudolu told the court that “not a day will go by that [Abodunde] does not regret the misery” that he has caused.

In his ruling, Judge Levett described Taiwo’s killing as “ruthless, violent, savage and heartless”.

Levett said Abodunde had lied to officers telling them his wife had attempted to attack him with a knife the day before he murdered her, adding that Abodunde also claimed she had tried to beat him, but no evidence was found to substantiate this, the court was told.

While Levett spoke, Abodunde could be seen from the dock with his head in his hands while sobbing.

The Judge added that there had been “no self-defence at all” on Abodunde’s part, saying he had heard “no remorse other than sobs from the dock”.

Following the murder, Suffolk Police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to previous contact with the couple.

It said earlier this month, two officers were advised they were being investigated for gross misconduct over potential breaches of the standards of professional behaviour.

Another officer is under investigation for breaches amounting to misconduct.

An IOPC spokesman said, “This does not mean disciplinary proceedings will necessarily follow. Our investigation remains ongoing.”

 

Credit: BBC

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