MICHAEL AKINOLA
This may not be the best of times for a 50-year old photographer and suspected blackmailer, Prince Chukwudi Samuel Timothy, popularly known as Chucks as the Court in Ejigbo has finally fixed a date for his trial over alleged criminal defamation and blackmailing in Lagos State.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the Magistrate Court sitting in Ejigbo area of Lagos has fixed 25th October, 2023, for the trial of the photographer, Chucks, for allegedly blackmailing the Ezendigbo in Ijegun and Ijedodo kingdoms, Eze Chika Nwokedi and Chief Sunny Akpaoyibo.
The defendant was arraigned before the Court on a three-count charge of criminal defamation, which he pleaded not guilty to and was granted bail in the sum of N300,0000 with two sureties in like sum, who must show evidence of means of livelihood and tax payment.
He was remanded in custody at the Correctional Centre at Kirikiri town, Lagos, until when he perfected his bail and was released from prison custody after several weeks.
When the matter came up at the last adjourned date, the prosecutor, Supol Benedict Aigbokhan, asked the Court to give another date for trial so that the complainants will be in Court to testify against Chucks.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. K.A. Ariyo, granted the prosecutor’s request and consequently adjourned the matter for trial.
The defendant had landed in trouble and was arrested by the Police operatives from the Isheri Oshun Division of the Lagos State Command following a petition written by Eze Nwokedi and Chief Akpaoyibo.
The complainants alleged that he 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, who parades himself as a journalist, was actually a photographer and claimed to have worked with the Guardian Newspaper 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 and VIPs to blackmail and extort money from members of the public.
The defendant has continued what he knows best by going again on the social media to blackmail the Crime Editor of P.M.EXPRESS, Cyriacus Izuekwe and the publisher of Newsplanet International, Emmanuel Edom, alleging that the duo had been threatening his life and his family for the past five years by publishing his arrest and arraignment before the Ejigbo Court.
Izuekwe described his claims as laughable because such threats to his life and family does not exist. He explained that the defendant, Chucks, was only angry that P.M.EXPRESS had published stories about his case before the Court and he had continued to threaten Izuekwe while claiming that he will use his contacts in the Nigeria Police to put Izuekwe in jail.
Meanwhile, P.M.EXPRESS Crime reporters have begun investigation over his purported claims that he attended Berlabys College, London, Nigeria Open University, worked at Amicable Assurance, Nigeria Airport and Guardian Newspapers, which were during the period he also claimed to have worked as a domestic staff to Retired IGP, Mr. Mike Okiro and had his wedding in his house when he was 25 years old. His purported claim as having established Apex Reporters Magazine website 18 years ago in Lagos State is deeply in doubt because of his garrulous mien.