₦airaland Forum

gnykelly:
her power is absolute but she seldom using it. she can upturn parliament decisions.

she doesn't need a passport as passport are being issued in her name.

all lands belong to her not the federal government.

documents are issued in her name.

she just seldom not applying it.

2Lynx:
wrong?
non of the link you posted there actually said that chima was the king or whatsoever, he never even got out to the promise land, as one of the links reported.

Abagworo:
Igbos had spiritual royalty

2Lynx:
reinvented? that is, the colonialists knew they could never control the Igbo people, their reforms would never be accepted, so they gave autonomous power to the chiefs, head if the umunna council, lineage heads indirectly by offering them "luxury" items. thus slowly they created the office of Kings, actualizing their goal of controlling/exploiting the people(slaves) and her resources through the "kings". since this office, this change has given the " head of elders" umunna full control of power non could go against them as the others elders were being bought into the system.
the precolonial Igbo administrative system never made use of "kings" that office was non existence,
precolonial Igbo administrative was, let's say, a "stateless society" with no central authority. policies and judiciary functions were performed by the head of the family, then the head of kinship, head of clan, lineages or villages. excces were checked by the umunna " (first male born / fathers)" and the umuadas ( first female born) and the age grades divided into certain age brackets , they also formulate and carry out policies and judiciary functions, while acting as checks and balances. every one both a 5 yr old to the eldest in the community made up the government in the Igbo system.
kingship, obi e.t.c were product of the colonialists.

A Rape Case Involving Two Rich Kids is Being Bungled in Lagos — And the DPP is Complicit.

Published 29th Mar, 2021

By Socrates Mbamalu


“For justice we must go on our knees to Don Corleone.” ~ Mario Puzo, The Godfather

Unfortunately for Bose (not real name) there is no godfather who can give her justice. In 2019, when news of her rape went viral on social media, celebrities and organisations tweeted and retweeted, demanding justice using the hashtag #JusticeForRape. Back then, there was hope she’d get justice. But now, the hashtag #JusticeForRape has died.

On Tuesday, March 23, 2021 two young men, Don-Chima George and Rasaq Oluwasegun Oke also known as Ricco, stood in the dock at the Sexual Offences Court, Lagos High Court, Ikeja, as the case (Suit Number ID/8813C/2019) resumed. The courtroom was almost empty except for around four people who had accompanied the two accused rapists. Their lawyer, Tunji Ayanlaja (SAN), who had represented Bode George in 2009, and his team, alongside the team from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), waited for Hon. Justice Abiola Soladoye who headed the court. On the road that leads to the Lagos High Court is a banner of Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, celebrating International Women’s Day.


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Three years ago, Don-Chima and Segun Rasaq had been accused of gang-raping a 23-year-old lady at the De Lankaster Hotel and Suites (owned by Don-Chima’s father); it went viral. Now, they were shielded both by the short memory of a public that had moved on to other viral issues, and also by the connections of their father. The court had adjourned the case nine times since 2019 when it was first heard. However, three years later, despite testimony from the victim in court on May 15, 2019, the DPP had failed to get a conviction.


DPP ACTING SUSPICIOUSLY. SELF-SABOTAGE OR UNDER PRESSURE?

As Hon. Justice Soladoye walked into the court, a voice called on everyone to rise. Olusola Soneye, a Deputy Director and prosecutor from the DPP’s office, said they had no witnesses to present to the court. He thereafter closed their case. The witnesses produced by the DPP included a doctor and a police officer who could both corroborate the story of the victim. FIJ found that the doctor and IPO are government staff who can be easily called, but the DPP’s office, for unknown reasons, has failed to call on either witness till date. Both witnesses are still in active service and their evidence is crucial to prosecuting the case, yet the DPP hasn’t extended an invitation to them.



BRILLIANT LAWYERS, QUESTIONABLE ACTIONS

FIJ made findings within the judiciary about the antecedents of some of the DPP prosecutors who had handled the case. One, Akin George, who was once on the case but has moved on last year, came highly-recommended, surprisingly.

“He is a Senior Pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG),” we were told by a source.

“A brilliant, fantastic state counsel,” another said.

“One of the brightest minds in the Ministry of Justice,” a third source said.

Soneye himself didn’t come poorly recommended, himself. “An experienced lawyer; he knows the job,” FIJ was told.

Why then woud experienced lawyers fail to present witnesses with the potential to hep them win their case?

In a country where rape is blamed on victims and rape convictions extremely poor, as low as 65 rape convictions between 1973 and 2019 according to the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, the Lagos State justice system seems bent on keeping that number low, having failed to adequately and diligently prosecute the case against Don-Chima and Rasaq Segun.

Within a space of less than 10 minutes, due to the failure of the DPP Prosecutor to provide witnesses, Justice Soladoye closed the case of the prosecution.

The swiftness with which the case was adjourned to May 18, 2021 left this reporter stunned. It was unusual for DPP prosecutors not to call the doctor and police officer. Usually, it is the victim who is mostly difficult to get to give testimony. Bose had however testified.


‘NO PROSECUTING TEAM DOES THAT!’

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FIJ ran its observtion of the court proceedings by Juwon Fasipe, a lawyer. His explanation was that closing the case of the prosecution meant that the prosecution no longer had witnesses to prove its case and were instead relying solely on the evidence of the witness(es) already called,” he said.

“This then means that the defence will be called to open its case, present its own evidence, or apply that the prosecution has failed to prove its case, known as ‘no case submission’. But what do you need in a rape case to sustain the charge before the court? If the victim has come to testify, is the evidence of the victim alone sufficient to get a conviction from the court? Absolutely not!”

So, what, then are the possible scenarios that can make a prosecuting team shy away from presenting witnesses when there indeed are?

“Well, if the witnesses are not available or if they are unwilling to testify, the prosecuting team can refrain from inviting them. That’s one.

“Two, if the prosecuting team feel a witness is not important for the purpose of establishing their case before a court, they can decide not to invite them.

“Three, if there is a behind-the-scenes settlement between the prosecution and the defence, then the prosecuting team can conduct itself in a way that makes the court strike out the case. Remember, once the prosecuting team has called a witness, the judge cannot strike the matter out – because the defence must be given an opportunity to either open its case or make a ‘no-case submission’.

“Four, if there are threats to life or other forms of intimidation, the prosecuting team can act that way. I don’t know which of these four it is, or if there are entirely different reasons, but I can tell you that no prosecuting team acting with a rape vicim’s best interest will have witnesses and not call a single one of them, instead relying solely on the victim’s testimony.”

‘DRUGGED AND RAPED’

On February 2, 2019, Don-Chima, Rasaq Segun and Bose went for an anniversary party and returned to De Lankaster Hotel around 4 am. Unknown to Bose, the drink Don-Chima and Rasaq Segun had given her was laced with drugs which eventually made her loose consciousness. At the hotel, as she came in and out of consciousness, Bose said she felt penetration from “someone with dreadlocks”.

Bose tried to push Rasaq away but he did not stop. As she fell in and out of consciousness, she said she heard the voice off Don-Chima, who also climbed her and raped her. It was the next morning, unable to find her underwear and suspicious that she had been raped the previous night by people she had considered friends, that she left the room and went to the house of a friend, Musa.


RECORDED VIDEO FOOTAGE CONFIRMS RAPE

According to a local newspaper which published the story in 2019, the then Lagos State police spokesman, CSP Chike Oti, said that after the drug was beginning to affect the victim, the two accused rapists left the club with Bose to De Lankaster Hotels in Lekki Phase one, owned by the father of  Don-Chima George.

www.nairaland.com/attachments/13325968_2021032912_54_48_jpegc416c280089fb94baebaa2c2a92f0db6

“At the hotel, they took turns to rape her. As if that was not enough, they recorded a video of the abused girl. The brother immediately invited policemen from Maroko Division led by the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Isah Abdulmajid to the scene. On searching the suspects, the DPO recovered their phones and went through their video recordings where he saw a video of the suspects sexually abusing the apparently unconscious victim.”

At the time of the case when there was a social media outrage, the then Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Edgal Imohimi, directed that thorough investigation be conducted and the suspects prosecuted.


NO MORE DREADLOCKS

At the courtroom, Rasaq no longer keeps his dreadlocks. His father, Chief Lanre Rasaq, a strong All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and a close friend of the APC National leader, Bola Asiwaju Tinubu, died from Covid-19 last year. While Don-Chima’s father remains unknown, there are strong indications of political influence being used to dictate how the case is being prosecuted.


The Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) responded to a rumour on February 7, 2019, that the perpetrators of rape had been released stating that it was false and “the DPP will ensure diligent prosecution of the case”.

The hashtag #JusticeForRapeInNigeria was used to call the attention of those in authority to give justice to the victim. However, the DSVRT has not been following through with the case and updating the public. When contacted via Twitter Direct Message, DSVRT said, “The DSVRT does give updates but we will not jeopardize cases that beg for confidentiality. However, updates will be provided to the concerned parties on request.”

According to Lagos State criminal law, “Any man who has unlawful sexual intercourse with a woman or girl without her consent, commits the offence of rape and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for life”.

In June 2020, the Lagos State House of Assembly advocated for stringent punishment for rape offenders. The motion, titled ‘Need To Curb The Incident of Rape, Defilement of Minors and Other Sexual Abuses’, was moved by Mojisola Alli-Macaulay.

Despite all these laws, the body language of the Lagos Directorate of Public Prosecutions points to only one thing: a reluctance to deal with the rape case of Don-Chima and Segun Rasaq. For whatever reason!


NO ONE IS TALKING

FIJ attempted to reach out to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, headed by Mrs. Adenrera Olayinka Adeyemi, but all numbers on the website were switched off. At the time of this report, FIJ had sent an email but had received no response too.

FIJ also reached out to Musa, the friend whose house the vicim had gone after the rape, his response was: “Please don’t call me about this case again.” Then he hung up abprutly.

Similarly, when FIJ contacted a relative of the victim, she simply said “I’m not interested” and terminated the call.

Ishilove:
This is too much information. Very childish

Emzenoz:
go and read about warrant chiefs .... they call came out from that colonial mistake

Penguin2:
It is an open secret that Tinubu has always had his eyes on the Nation's highest office. Reason he wanted to deputize Buhari in 2015 to shorten his route to the presidency but for religious sentiments.

Now, as another general election draws nigh, Tinubu and his lieutenants has been clearing the grounds and testing the waters for Tinubu's declaration for the presidency. While his boys are trying to unite the whole of Southwest under Tinubu candidacy, Tinubu himself is doing everything reasonable and unreasonable to warm himself into the heart of northern voters; donating money to victims of Katsina inferno, chairing the 12th Arewa House Lecture and all.

But one thing is conspicuously clear, and that is that neither Tinubu himself nor his lieutenants has made even the remotest of move towards the South East and the South South. And I want to ask why?

My people say, "oku nyu ahuru, ala achuwa ya oso" (literally, when the fowl polutes the air, the grounds chases after it). And by that I mean that Tinubu must be avoiding the SE/SS because of the role he played in the defeat of GEJ, a president they accused of favouring Igbos.

Now, if politics is a game of interest, how would the rest of the country want Igbos to vote for Tinubu, another President that would not be favorably disposed to the Igbos just like Buhari isn't?

Because avoiding the SE/SS in their early campaign clearly indicates where Tinubu is looking to create his allies and if he eventually wins, that would mean another 8 years of an Igbo hating govt.

This is a call on my Igbo brothers and sisters, if they APC ticket goes Southwest, let's not insist on the PDP ticket coming to the East. The North won't vote an Igbo man. Let the presidential ticket go to the North while the VP ticket comes to the East like in 2019. Let the fight be between the North and the West.

If the northerner wins with the PDP with an Igbo man as VP for 8 years, the anti-Igbo sentiments in the North must have been subdued to a very minimal level to create a favorable ground for an Igbo presidency.

This route might be longer, but it's better than having a president that hates Ndigbo for another 8 years.

Penguin is a bird of reason!

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

AdaAwka1:
Oh ok

ChuckKingston:
Okay thanks.
I guess the tickets must have been given out already

ChuckKingston:
Abeg how can someone get the ticket and how much is it sold

toyinmadakik:
These 2 men have been together way back

ezenwajosh:
alright

ezenwajosh:
a simple research about Igbo culture would help you IGBOS FAMILY PICKS ELDER SONS FROM EACH FAMILY WHO REPRESENTS THEM IN OBODO WHEN EVER THERE'S A MEETING....WE DON'T HAVE ANYONE RULING OVER US AND WHO SPEAKS ON OUR BEHALF.....EVERY MEMBER OF IGBO FAMILY HAS AN ELDERLY SON WHO REPRESENTS THEM AND WHO SPEAKS ON BEHALF OF THEM BY TAKING THE TOPIC OF DISCUSSION TO HIS FAMILY AND THEY DELIBERATE ON IT AND THEN HE GOES BACK TO THE OBODO WITH THE DECISION OF HIS FAMILY AND IN THAT OBODO THEY TAKE A VOTE ON THE ELDERS OPINIONS AND MAJORITY'S DECISION WILL BE FOLLOWED

ezenwajosh:
Kingship is not an Igbo culture we never practised monarchy forget nollywood and their fiction

naptu2:
This was your original point, but you can see that it is not accurate. You have admitted that the Eze Nri, Obi of Onitsha, Obi of Agbor and Asagba of Asaba existed before the arrival of the colonialists, which means that some Igbos practiced monarchy and some did not.


The fact that there are currently governors and that the governors can remove monarchs does not change the fact that monarchs existed in Igboland before the arrival of the colonialists.

ezenwajosh:
NBC(NIGERIA BROADCASTING COOPERATION) NTA(NIGERIA/NATIONAL TV AUTHORITY) KINGS CINEMA AND VIDEO CLUBS WHAT CONTENT ARE THEY SHOWING SAME CONTENT ALL CONTENT LATER WENT INTO THE BODY OF NOLLYWOOD


ITS MORE LIKE TELLING ME YOU'RE READING OR WATCHING IGBO HISTORY FROM BBC....WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING FROM BBC, THE TRUTH? THEN YOU'RE MISTAKING

ezenwajosh:
its too much Nollywood....100% of them here grew up knowing igwe and eze

Elonmuskfan:
I think Igbo enwe eze in that context means igbo does not have a general ruler whose supremacy covers the length and breadth of igbo land; From Abakaliki to Aba Ngwa, from Asaba to Orlu.

What you have are ancient kingdoms that are today, the sizes of a community.

Whereas sultan of sokoto is the supreme leader, just as ooni is alleged to be the supreme for all Yorubas. Igbo enwe eze, but onitsha, asaba, agbor nwe eze. (Igbo doesn’t have supreme leader, but onitsha, asaba, agbor do have)

ezenwajosh:
Kingship is not an Igbo culture we never practised monarchy forget nollywood and their fiction

ezenwajosh:
Kingship is not an Igbo culture we never practised monarchy forget nollywood and their fiction

ezenwajosh:
that's what am saying we never had a king thats dethroned by a governor....we never had anything governor before

WHAT YOU CALL KINGS TODAY IN IGBO LANDS ARE WHITE MANS WARRANT CHIEFS

ezenwajosh:
Eze NRI, obi of onicha, asagba of asaba were all reinvented under the colonialist version of chiefs which is the one you see today under the governor of a state....IGBO ENWE EZE MEANS A king never has absolute power....infact we don't call them kings or igwe