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Tag: Emmanuel Eze

  • Illegal detention: Court awards N2m damages to Evans’ in-law

    Illegal detention: Court awards N2m damages to Evans’ in-law

    The Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday awarded N2million damages against the Police for illegally detaining Mr Okwuchukwu Obiechina, a brother-in-law of suspected kidnapper Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike (alias Evans).

    Justice Mohammed Idris declared Obiechina’s arrest and detention unconstitutional.

    He held that the remand order which the Police claimed to have obtained from a Magistrates’ court was invalid.

    The judge ordered the plaintiff be released immediately from custody and asked the police to charge him if they have a case against him.

    Justice Idris ordered the police to apologise to Obiechiana in a newspaper.

    Obiechina prayed the court to order his release from detention, claiming he was arrested due to his relationship with Evans.

    The applicant, through his lawyer Olukoya Ogungbeje, said despite Evans being arraigned, the Police kept him in detention since June 2.

    He and his wife, Nzube, Evans’ sister, sued the Commissioner of Police in Lagos, the Police and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Lagos.

    In a supporting affidavit deposed to by Obiechina’s relative Okoliagu Abunike, the applicant said he was arrested by a team of policemen led by Phillip and Christian.

    The deponent said the officers bragged that no court would order Obiechina’s release.

    “Since June 26, 2017, the first applicant is still being detained at the cell of the respondents till date even beyond the constitutionally allowed time.

    “The applicant has not committed any offence known to law that will warrant the infringement of his right to life, personal liberty, fair hearing, freedom of movement and dignity of human person,” Abunike said.

    But, counsel for the police, Mr Emmanuel Eze, urged the court to dismiss the suit for lacking in merit.
    He said Obiechina was detained based on a Magistrates’ court’s order.

    According to him, Obiechina and his wife were arrested on the reasonable suspicion that they engaged in kidnapping and murder.

    He said Obiechina allegedly attempted to interfere with Police investigation by demobilising about nine trucks recovered from Evans.

    He urged the court to dismiss the suit with substantial cost against Obiechina.

    But, Justice Idris rejected the police’s arguments and held that the plaintiff was detained illegally.

  • ‘Illegal’ detention: Evans’ in-laws know fate October 23

    ‘Illegal’ detention: Evans’ in-laws know fate October 23

    A Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed October 23 for judgment in a suit filed by Okwuchukwu Obiechina and his wife, Nzube, against the police for alleged illegal detention.

    Obiechina is said to be a brother-in-law of suspected billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike a.k.a Evans.

    In the fundamental rights enforcement suit before Justice Mohammed Idris, the duo claimed they were arrested and have been in detention since June 2, because of their relationship with Evans.

    The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, the Nigeria Police and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad are co-respondents in the suit.

    On October 10, 2017, Justice Idris directed the police to produce the applicants in court to show cause why their release should not be ordered.

    The judge made the order in a ruling on an ex-parte application filed by their counsel, Olukoya Ogungbeje.

    However, during yesterday’s proceedings, Ogungbeje asked the court to vacate the order to pave way for the hearing of the substantive suit.

    Read Also: Evans suspected accomplice seeks N100m for ‘unlawful arrest’

    The lawyer claimed that his clients had been in police custody since June 2, without a court order, in connection with the criminal charge brought against Evans.

    He said the respondents’ admittance in their counter affidavit that the applicants were only detained for six days has confirmed his clients’ claims of illegal detention.

    Ogungbeje added that the respondents were yet to disclose any reason why they should continue to hold on to the applicants.

    However, in his submissions, respondents’ lawyer, Emmanuel Eze, said claims of illegal detention of the applicants did not arise as the police had already secured a remand order from a magistrate’s court.

    Eze tendered the remand order to Justice Idris, who directed that a copy be made available to Ogungbeje.

    He argued that Obiechina and his wife were arrested by the police on reasonable suspicion of engaging in kidnapping and murder.

    Eze further alleged that Obiechina made attempts to interfere in Evans’ trial by demobilising about nine of the trucks that were recovered from Evans.

    “He had access to the kidnapper. He removed the brain boxes from the trucks that were recovered from Evans. That’s why he was arrested in October,” Eze said.

    He urged the court to dismiss the suit with substantial cost.

    After listening to submissions by parties in the matter, Justice Idris fixed October 23 for judgment.

  • Police seek N.3m cost against Evans’ lawyer

    Police seek N.3m cost against Evans’ lawyer

    Police on Tuesday asked a Federal High Court in Lagos to compel counsel to suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike a.k.a. Evans, Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje, to pay a punitive cost of N300,000 for alleged wrongful service.

    Evans, through Ogungbeje, has filed a N300million fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), alleging wrongful detention.

    Joined as respondents in the suit are the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Commissioner of Police in Lagos  and the Lagos State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) as second, third and fourth respondents respectively.

    The suit was stalled before Justice Abdulaziz Anka at the last hearing on July 20, following Ogungbeje’s failure to comply with a July 13 order to pay the police N20,000 as costs.

    However, at the commencement of proceedings on Tuesday, Ogungbeje informed Justice Anka that the costs were paid on August 10.

    The counsel said he had complied with the court’s order to serve the respondents and that the matter was ripe for hearing.

    But counsel to the police commissioner and SARS, Emmanuel Eze, opposed him.

    Eze, who explained the absence of counsel to the IGP and NPF, argued that Ogungbeje failed to serve them in Abuja as directed by the judge.

    He said: “It is not true that the matter is ripe for hearing. This is a fundamental rights enforcement suit brought by the applicant.

    “He has not got the leave of court for the matter to be heard during vacation. That is the condition precedent to hearing any matter during vacation.”

    Relying on Section 215 of the Constitution and Order 5 Rule 8 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009, Eze argued that the Lagos police commissioner and the IGP were distinct personalities.

    Ogungbeje, he stated, had only served the police commissioner at Alagbon in Lagos but had yet to serve the IGP in Abuja.

    He added: “Our submission is that he has not taken steps to clothe this court with jurisdiction to hear this case.”

    “Since Ogungbeje has refused to do the right thing, we are asking the court for costs of N300, 000.”

    But countering him, Ogungbeje maintained that the IGP and NPF were served on June 29 at the addresses contained on the originating motion and the proof of service was in the court’s file.

    Justice Anka adjourned the matter till Wednesday for ruling.

  • Expert calls for investment in agric value chain to tackle inflation

    An economist, Mr Emmanuel Eze, has called on all tiers of government to urgently encourage more Nigerians into agriculture value chain businesses to contain any upsurge in inflation in future.

    Chief Executive Officer, Perfecta Investment Company, Eze Lagos gave the advice while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

    He said the advice was necessary because one of the causes of the rise of the country’s inflation was too much demand for forex for the importation of finished products.

    He said since most of the finished products were in the agriculture value chain businesses, it was better the government encouraged more Nigerians into the ventures.

    He said it was wrong for the country to rely always on high price of oil at the international market to contain the rise in inflation.

    He noted that so long the oil price in the international market continued to rise; the inflation rate would drop domestically.

    “This is because our country is an import-driven economy, so it is easier to stabilize inflation through proceeds from high oil prices.

    “This is the time to produce surplus commodities locally that will crash the prices of goods.

    “We have the capacity to change the narrative presently, considering our resilience and entrepreneurial drive among the youth.

    “The agricultural value chain should be harnessed to address our quest for processed food,” he said.

    He lauded the decision of the international oil cartel that exempted Nigeria from oil supply cut due to the country’s economic challenges.

    He said that the decision of the cartel should be sustained to enable the country to regain its liquidity status to manage its dollar demand.

    He reiterated that continuous investment in utilities would reduce the funds being expended on finished products, which had piled pressure on foreign exchange demand.

    Eze commended the government for building and revamping ailing infrastructure, adding that the inflation rate would continue to slide downward if the tempo was sustained.

    NAN reports that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday announced that Nigeria’s Consumer Price Index dropped to 17.24 per cent in April from17.26 per cent in March.

    The NBS report said the drop, although minor, indicated that the price of food and non-food items had eased in 2017.

    The drop marks the third consecutive month the inflation rate will fall.

     

  • Intel advocates technology education

    Intel advocates technology education

    An ICT expert, Mr Emmanuel Eze, has urged the teachers and the government to integrate ICT into classroom learning.

    Eze, who is the Lead, Public Sector & Education, HP, spoke at ARTE (African Resources and Technology for Education) Show 2014 sponsored by HP and Intel. It was declared open by Benue State Commissioner of Education, Dr Elizabeth Ugo in Abuja.

    In his treatise of the topic: How Technology can challenge Convention, encourage Change and Improve Education in Africa, Eze said teaching in the 21st century has gone beyond the classroom to embrace technology, which he said enhances learning.

    He said using ICT allows students to learn at individual paces and acquire needed knowledge. He added that it also promotes retention by 90 per cent because of active participation.

    On his part, Business Development Manager, Intel, Omoboyade Abe, spoke on an education solution which allows the learners to access e-textbooks.

    “The Intel Explore and Learn is an education solution that provides access to a vast repository of free and low cost digital text books and interactive learning resources. At Intel education, the focus is on creating education solutions that aids learning and it is not profit focused,” he said.