MICHAEL AKINOLA
A 36-year old man, Jerry Amunike, has been arrested and charged in Lagos State for allegedly hiring two unknown soldiers to eliminate his estranged friend, Chukwuma Kene, over a power generating set.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened on 27th April, 2024, at Olaifa Street, Bucknor area of Lagos, where they reside.
The suspect has been charged before the Ejigbo Magistrate Court for conspiracy and threatening to kill the complainant by hiring unknown soldiers, who bundled him away to an unknown place and threatened to kill him after inflicting severe injuries on him with fist blows.
According to the Police, the suspect was living together in the same apartment with the complainant before they had a disagreement over generator. The suspect alleged that the complainant switched off their generator and all the beverages he kept in the fridge got spoilt.
That caused serious a disagreement between the complainant and suspect, who later moved out of the apartment as a result of anger sometime in January, 2024.
When he could not bear what the complainant did to him, he reportedly went and engaged soldiers to attack him.
However, luck was on the side of the complainant as he was not eliminated in the process after he paid certain amount of money as ransom before he was released.
The matter was reported to the Police at Ejigbo Division. The suspect was then arrested and detained at the station for interrogation and was also asked to provide the soldiers.
When he reportedly contacted the soldiers in question, they disowned him and left him to his fate as he was unable to provide the soldiers.
The Police found him culpable and consequently charged him before the Court for the alleged offence, which attracts several years of imprisonment.
He pleaded not guilty.
The prosecutor, Inspector Simeon Njue, then asked the Court to give a date for hearing since he pleaded not guilty to enable the Police to prove that he actually committed the alleged offence
However, there was a twist over the matter before the Court as the complainant told the Court that he wanted to withdraw the case from the Court and explained that the defendant has apologized to him and he has forgiven him.
The Presiding Magistrate Mrs. A.K. Dosumu-Uthman, consequently struck out the matter and the defendant was released to go home.