Court orders arraignment of second accused person in Rivers serial killings

Blessing Okorite, Port Harcourt

Justice Adolphus Enebeli of the Rivers State High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, has ordered for arraignment of Mr. Nemi ThankGod in court, allegedly involved in the killings of nine women in different hotels in the state.

Justice Enebeli who made the order in Monday, was reacting to an application by the state prosecuting counsel in the matter led by the Attorney-General of Rivers State, Prof. Zacchaeus Adengo.

Adengo had during proceedings told the court that from the case file he received from the police, a second accused person, Nemi ThankGod was named and ought to be charged in the matter alongside the first accused person, Gracious David West.

The state Attorney following the new evidence, filed an application before the court, seeking to substitute the initial 10- count charge with a fresh charge, together with proof of evidence (a document which contains all the statements made by prospective witnesses as well as statements made by the accused persons themselves).

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He, however, urged the court to adjourn the matter to a later date to enable the Defence counsel study the fresh information served on them on Monday inside the courtroom.

The Defence counsel, Vincent Chukwu, opposed the application of the prosecution and prayed the court to continue with the proceedings of the matter.

But the trial Judge, Justice Enebeli, adjourned the matter till November 21, 2019 for plea of the defendants and ordered that the police present before the court on the next adjourned date, should provide the second accused person, Nemi ThankGod, alongside the first, Gracious David West.

Prof. Zacchaeus Adengo, the state prosecuting counsel, who spoke to journalists outside the courtroom said he applied for a substitution of the original charges with the new one, following discoveries emanating from the case file he got from the police.

He said, “Last week Thursday, we got the case file from the police, studied it and the case file discloses criminal accusations against a accused person Mr. Nemi ThankGod.

“We have prepared fresh information, together with proof of evidence as required by law, but unfortunately the learned Justice was served this morning and we were able to serve the first accused person in the court and it is only fair that they should take time to study the case file, the information and proof of evidence, so the matter has been adjourned to November 21, 2019 for plea.

“Both David-West and Nemi ThankGod are charged as accused persons in the proceedings, the police charged only Gracious David-West, but from the case file, we discovered that a second person, ThankGod Nemi ought to have been charged, so we are changing him together with David-West, so, the two of them would take their plea on the 21st day of November, 2019.”

Attorney-General of Rivers StateMr. Nemi ThankGod
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