KINGSLEY EBERE
Police operatives from the Lagos State Command have arrested a wanted suspected blackmailer, Prince Chukwudi Samuel Timothy, for alleged blackmail of Ezendigbo in Ijegun and Ijedodo kingdoms, Eze Chika Nwokedi and Chief Sunny Akpaoyibo.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the suspect, Timothy, popularly known as Chucks, was arrested by the Police from the Isheri Oshun Division on Thursday after several weeks following a petition written by Eze Nwokedi and Chief Akpaoyibo to the Police.
The complainant alleged that the suspect demanded certain amount of money from them through a text message and when they did not give to him, he went on the social media and alleged Eze Nwokedi was a fake king and Akpaoyibo was a ritualist.
In a petition dated 8th March, 2023, written by the law firm, Iwarahs Associates, it stated that sometime last year till 2023, the suspect went on social media and other online platforms and published a defamatory report calling Eze Nwokedi a deceitful and fake king that does not have certificate to show that he is a traditional ruler.
In a similar manner, Akpaoyibo was shocked by deluge of phone calls from friends and relatives demanding to ascertain the authenticity of the story published by the suspect, Chucks, calling him a ritualist and blood sucking demon parading himself as a good citizen.
“The said publication has affected the image of the complainants in the eyes of the reasonable members of the public both within Nigeria and beyond. Information at our disposal shows that the suspect and his group of thugs are people who capitalize on parading themselves as members of cult group giving false information as a way of blackmailing members of the public to obtain money from innocent citizens” the petition stated.
When P.M.EXPRESS correspondent visited Isheri Oshun Division, the reporter confirmed his arrest but was unable to speak with the suspect because he was busy writing statement to the Police.
However, he was heard admitting that he made a mistake and wanted the matter to be resolved. However, the complainants insisted that the matter should be charged to Court and he should be prosecuted to serve as deterrent for others who might try such in the future.