MICHAEL AKINOLA
A 50-year old Photographer, Prince Chukwudi Samuel Timothy, a.k.a Chucks, has narrowly escaped prison following the withdrawal of criminal charges of blackmail preferred against him by the Chairman of Council of Ndieze, Eze Chika Nwokedi in Lagos State.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. K.A. Ariyo, of the Ejigbo Magistrate Court had fixed Monday 30th October, 2023, for the trial of Chucks over alleged criminal defamation and blackmailing of Eze Nwokedi and Chief Sunny Akpaoyibo, which would have landed him in prison if he was found guilty before the Court.
However, before the date for trial, Chucks sent emissaries including a Bishop and some top Police officers to the Palace of Eze Chika Nwokedi and pleaded for forgiveness. He also tendered unreserved apology to Eze Nwokedi and promised that he will not try such in future.
Thus, Eze Nwokedi had compassion, decided to forgive him and then wrote a letter of withdrawal, which he presented before the Court.
When the matter was mentioned for trial, the prosecutor, Supol Benedict Aigbokhan, informed the Court that the complainant wrote a letter of withdrawal to discontinue with the matter. Hence, the matter was subsequently struck out.
The Photographer, Chucks, who is married with two wives and many children, landed in trouble and was arrested by the Police at Isheri Oshun Division of the Lagos State Command following a petition written by Eze Nwokedi and Chief Akpaoyibo.
The complainants alleged that Chucks demanded certain amount of money from them through a text message and when they did not give him, he went on the social media and alleged Eze Nwokedi was a fake king and Akpaoyibo was a ritualist.
The defendant, Timothy who parades himself as a journalist, was actually a photographer and claimed to have worked with Guardian Newspapers some years ago before he was reportedly dismissed from the company.
Since then he was said to have been living by dropping names of senior Police officers, VIPs to extort money from members of the public, which eventually landed him in prison custody at Kirikiri town, Lagos.