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Evans trial resumes September 13

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The trial of suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, and his co-defendants, will on September 13, 2018, resume before Justice Adedayo Akintoye of the Lagos State High Court in Igbosere.

The trial, which last held on June 26, 2018, had been put on hold as a result of the annual vacation of judges.

Judges of the Lagos State High Court proceeded on their annual vacation on July 16. They are scheduled to resume on Tuesday, September 11.

Evans’ trial is expected to resume on Thursday, September 13 before Justice Akintoye.

He is facing two separate charges bordering on conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping and attempted murder.

On June 26 when the case was last heard, the court dismissed applications by the defendants, seeking to quash the charges on the contention that the two charges before Justice Akintoye were duplications of earlier charges filed against Evans and others before Justices Hakeem Oshodi and Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Lagos State High Court.

In the applications filed in May, Evans’ original lawyer, Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje, who later withdrew his services, had contended that the two charges before Justice Akintoye were “grossly defective, repetitive and amounted to an abuse of court processes” because Evans had earlier been charged before Justices Oshodi and Taiwo.

But the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, Ms Titilayo Shitta-Bey, maintained that the charges were not an abuse of court processes because the different charges contained different victims allegedly kidnapped or murdered by the defendants.

She said the state decided to file different charges to make the cases tidy, adding that different defendants were charged alongside Evans in the different charges.

Ruling on June 26, Justice Akintoye upheld the DPP’s arguments and dismissed Evans’ applications.

She then adjourned till September 13, after court’s vacation, for continuation of trial.

In the first charge before Justice Akintoye, Evans is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba.

In the second charge, he is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Linus Okpara and Victor Aduba.

Apart from the two charges before Justice Akintoye, there are two other charges against him before Justice Taiwo, while there is a fifth one before Justice Oshodi.

In one of the two charges before Justice Taiwo, the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions accused Evans and three others of killing two persons in their failed attempt to kidnap the Chairman of Young Shall Grow Motors, Obianodo Vincent.

The criminal operation was said to have been carried out by the defendants around 11pm on August 27, 2013 on Third Avenue, FESTAC Town, Lagos.

Those charged along with Evans were Joseph Emeka, Chiemeka Arinze and Udeme Upong.

The seven counts against them border on attempted murder, murder, kidnapping and illegal firearms deal.

In the second charge, Evans, one Victor Aduba and four others still at large, were accused of conspiring among themselves to kidnap one Sylvanus Hafia around 5.30pm on June 23, 2014 at Kara Street, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.

The prosecution alleged that they captured and detained Hafia and demanded a $2m ransom from his family.

In the fifth charge before Justice Oshodi, Evans is standing trial alongside Uche Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba.

The six were arraigned on August 30, 2017, on two counts of conspiracy and kidnapping of the Chief Executive Officer of Maydon Pharmaceutical Limited, Donatus Dunu, from whose family they allegedly collected €223,000 (N100m) as ransom.

Evans and his co-defendants have pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

They have been in custody since August 30, 2017, when they were first arraigned.

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IPOB Declares May 30th As Sit-at-home Day Across The Southern East States To Honour Biafran Fallen Heroes

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The Indigenous People of Biafra has declared May 30, 2024, as a sit-at-home day across the South-East to celebrate Biafran soldiers.

The pro-Biafran group said that day is set aside annually to celebrate the men and women who died in the Biafran war between 1967 and 1970 and beyond and even until now.

This was made known in a press statement by the group’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, on Thursday, adding that every Biafran in the South-East is expected to sit at home and reflect on the war.

He cautioned South-East residents to avoid loitering about on this day, adding that those who intend to travel to and fro Biafra land must do so before the evening of May 29.

The IPOB statement also directed that all the residents of “Biafra Land” are to stay indoors from 6 am to 6 pm on May 30, 2024.

He also called on christians and traditionalists to pray to Chukwu okike abiama for the fallen heroes, And also for the independence of Biafra from Nigeria.

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Anambra State Government Arrests Man For Marrying Off His Underage Daughter

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The Anambra State Government has arrested one Uzochukwu Okoli, for marrying off his underaged daughter.

Okoli was apprehended after his daughter reported to the State Ministry of Women and Social Welfare about the alleged ill-treatment being meted out to her by her father and the man he forced her to marry.

The daughter, Chioma Okoli, who is currently 16 years old, said after the death of her mother, her father took her and her sister out of Edo state and brought them to Anambra.

She alleged that she was first forced to live with a 70-plus-year-old man at the age of 14 but after some time, she ran back to her father’s house before he finally gave her out to a 34-year-old Chinedu Nweke as husband.

Chioma who was in the company of her sister, explained that life with Chinedu has been a living hell because he allegedly beats her and sometimes pees in her mouth.

She said this act made her run away with their 9-month-old baby. Her father, Uzochukwu Okoli, on the other hand, claimed her daughter is 18 years old and, at some point, said she is 20 years old.

After he was handcuffed, Mr Okoli threatened to deal with the daughters if he made it out of prison. He also urged Chioma and her sister to pray he dies in prison because he would make life more miserable for them.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Hon Ify Obinabo, has instructed that the case be charged to court so that the girl can get justice.

Both Mr Okoli and Chinedu Nweke were arrested and will be arraigned in court.

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Nigerians Seek Woman Who Spoke Out Eloquently Against Fuel Scarcity In Viral 1994 TV Clip

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April 30th 1994, 30 Years Ago, And Till Today Nothing Has Really Changed.

Netizens have gone in search of a beautiful and well-spoken woman who spoke out against fuel scarcity 30 Years Ago.

A user on X.com, Jackie, who identifies as #JWEZEE had shared the video yesterday with the caption, “On this day April 30 1994, same day same time, only difference 30years ago.

“Nigerians in long fuel queues lamenting, 30years later they are still lamenting. And In another 30years will still lament, why? Because patterns don’t lie.”

In the video, which has since gone viral, Nigerians were seen queuing to purchase fuel and lamenting their predicament as citizens waiting in long queues with their gallons to buy fuel.

The woman passionately addressed the unfairness of soldiers skipping queues to resell fuel, highlighting a longstanding problem.

She said in part, “You have the soldiers that come, they buy petrol, they put it in jerry cans they sell it right in front of these people, it’s ridiculous.

“They get the fuel themselves, why do they have to come here, they don’t join the queue, they just buy and they sell right in front of people, it’s ridiculous. Something has to happen.”

The 30-year-old video which recently surfaced coincides with the current fuel price hike across the country.

Here is the viral video from 30 years back.

Currently, the country is facing fuel scarcity and price hike, with fuel being sold at N900 per litre in some states. This has affected the price of goods in the nation.

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