By OKOSUN DENNIS
FOR having the effrontery to concoct and give false information to the Nigerian Police Force, Zone 2 Command, Onikan Lagos, in order to rope into trouble an aviation agent, one Mr. Carlos Ezeukwu has been arraigned on a two-count charge at the Magistrate Court 5, Tinubu for conspiracy and giving of false information.
The accused, a 41-year old Carlos Ezeukwu, from Ihiala in Anambra state was arraigned before Magistrate, Mr A Adefulune sitting in Lagos, after he told a lie against an the aviation agent who had assisted him and the family members to procure a two-way ticket to the U.S.
Having successfully travelled to America where his wife was said to have given birth to a baby, he abandoned the return ticket and instead went to procure an Emirate ticket with which he travelled back to Nigeria with his wife and two kids.
It was learnt that after arriving Nigeria on board Emirate Airline with the ticket he claimed to have bought for over $6,000, he initiated a petition to the Zone 2 Command at Onikan claiming that the Managing Director of Meclones Nigeria Limited, Mbamalu Amara, issued him a one-way ticket instead of a two-way ticket he was given knowing full well that his allegation was false and untrue.
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Carlos, who deals in motor tyres at the Trade Fair Tyre market, Lagos and resident at 8b Chinedu Okafor Street, Ajao estate, further claimed that he bought the return ticket for over $6,000 against $2, 000 plus he actually paid for the Emirate return ticket to Nigeria. In his petition dated August 2015, alleged he was given one-way ticket for which he was asking for a refund of $6, 000 from Meclones Nig. Limited, he allegedly procured a return ticket knowing full well that they were all fabrication.
After the initial investigation, it was found out that there were some manipulations by Mr Carlos to prosecute innocent person. Not satisfied, the Managing Director of Meclones Nigeria Limited, Mbamalu Amara objected to the reports and decided to petition Carlos for given false information to the police and maligning his personality. However, a neutral office was tasked to handle the investigation, and was discovered that Carlos Ezeukwu’s allegations against Mbamalu were false and a deliberate misinformation calculated to bring Meclones Nigeria Limited to disrepute.
It was learnt that during the investigation, Carlos couldn’t provide evidence that he actually bought a $6,000 return ticket from the United State to Nigeria. Also, it was discovered that Carlos deliberately abandoned his return ticket which was valid from 28 February, 2015 to 1 March, 2016.
In a two count charge preferred against the accused (Carlos Ezeukwu) read in part: “That you, Carlos Ezeukwu (m) and other still at large on the 10th August, 2015 at Zone 2 Police Command of Nigeria Police Onikan, Lagos in the Lagos Magisterial District did conspire together to commit felony to wit: bringing false accusation and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 94 of the criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.
“That you Carlos Ezeukwu (m) on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District did give false information or statement to the police that one Amala Mbamalu (m) did issued your wife, Cassandra Nkechi Ezeukwu (f) and your son, Somtochukwu Michael Ezeukwu (m) a one way ticket to the United State of America instead of a return ticket an information which you knew or believed to be false and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 96 of the criminal Law of Lagos state of Nigeria, 2011.”
During his arraignment, he pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted N50, 000 bail with two sureties, one of which must be blood relations. He was however remanded at the Ikoyi Prisons pending the perfection of his bail condition.
Meanwhile, a source told our reporter that prior to his (Carlos) arraignment by the police at the court, having the understanding that he has been found to have given false information to the police, in order to subvert the course of justice, he (clandestinely) wrote another petition against the Investigating Police Officer, Sergeant Friday Akhimien, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Zone 2; the O/C Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Zone 2 and the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Command, AIG Bala Hassan of bias.
The petition was said to have been sent to the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase through the IGP annex office at Kem Salem House, former Police Headquarters, Obalende.
It was learnt that the police investigation team called all the witnesses including the issuing company of the ticket Inter-Guard and the United Airline to testify in written evidence exonerating Meclones Nigeria Limited Managing Director, Mbamalu Amara of wrong doing as he was said to have issued one year valid return ticket to Carlos Ezeukwu’s wife and son; a ticket which expire in February, 2016, over six months they returned from the United States of America.
The case has been adjourned to May 25 for trial.