Emeka Egbulugha, a pharmacist and former employee of Maydon
Pharmaceuticals Limited, has threatened legal action against his
former boss, Donatus Dunu, one of the victims of Chukwudumeme
Onwuamadike, a.k.a. Evans, the kidnap kingpin.
Police detained Egbulugha for 40 days after Dunu, who escaped
from the custody of his abductors, made allegations against
him.
He had told the police that Egbulugah was the informant who gave
Evans details about him. Based on the allegation, the ex-Maydon
employee was detained. But reprieve came his way when police
arrested Evans, and he categorically exonerated Egbulugha through
his oral testimony, which the police also confirmed through a
rigorous process that removed every iota of doubt. Consequently,
the police arraigned him in court, and on the basis of the solid
evidence presented by the prosecutor, the court set him free.
In the wake of the release of Egbulugha from police custody,
Dunu kicked against the decision of the court and claimed that the
release of Egbulugha had put his life and that of members of his
family at great risk.
In a media report, Dunu said: “I have evidence of the active
participation of my pharmacist (Egbulugha) in the deadly operation,
and releasing him has worsened my plight as members of my family
and myself now live in perpetual fear for our lives.
Why should the police release the chief accomplice in my kidnap?
I not only heard his voice while in captivity, having been with him
since 2003, but also saw him there a few days after the kidnap. He
came asking them where I was kept. When they showed him, he opened
the door where they kept me in chains and our eyes met. I was about
eating when I heard his voice and I normally removed the blindfold.
That was how I saw him and I had the greatest shock of my
life.”
He spoke further: “I feel so bad that the police allowed the
court to set him free, thereby endangering my life.
I don’t think the police carried out a thorough investigation
after the so-called identification parade, which was simply a
charade. Even if the court had cause to grant him bail, the police
know how to go about such cases by re-arresting him.”
However, when Benson Akunya, the lawyer to Egbulugha was
contacted to react to the remarks made in the report, he said:
“Anyway, what I can tell you is that we have spoken before and that
is as much as we can go. The man (Dunu) can say whatever he wants
to say. The court has given a return date and whatever we want to
do, we want to do it in the courtroom. Very soon, we will take
legal steps against him.”
In the light of Dunu’s allegations against Egbulugha, Akuya
raised the alarm that his client’s life is at risk too, stating
that all necessary steps would be taken to secure him.
He took a swipe at Dunu, saying: “If you have alleged that Evans
knows Egbulugha and that they made calls to each other, Evans has
said he doesn’t know him. You also alleged that he stole your goods
and when they did an inventory, your goods were intact.
“We have given the much we can and let them continue with their
own media trial but we will seek redress the proper way and that is
the best. We are not interested in joining issues with him. The
publication we did is okay for now. We have a proper forum where
you can ventilate your grievances,” he said.
Akunya added:
“Ordinarily he (Egbulugha) is not safe right now but something
is being done in that regard. We want to stop making comments until
we have done whatever we want to do. You don’t go to court to say
you want to win a case by force, but what I know is that even if
everything else fails, libel won’t fail. There is nobody that would
read whatever the man (Dunu) has been saying and that won’t agree
that Egbulugha’s name has been so battered. Let the court make its
pronouncement at the right time. If you are not satisfied with the
court of first instance, you can always go to the Appeal
Court.”
Emeka Egbulugha, a pharmacist and former employee of Maydon
Pharmaceuticals Limited, has threatened legal action against his
former boss, Donatus Dunu, one of the victims of Chukwudumeme
Onwuamadike, a.k.a. Evans, the kidnap kingpin.
Police detained Egbulugha for 40 days after Dunu, who escaped
from the custody of his abductors, made allegations against
him.
He had told the police that Egbulugah was the informant who gave
Evans details about him. Based on the allegation, the ex-Maydon
employee was detained. But reprieve came his way when police
arrested Evans, and he categorically exonerated Egbulugha through
his oral testimony, which the police also confirmed through a
rigorous process that removed every iota of doubt. Consequently,
the police arraigned him in court, and on the basis of the solid
evidence presented by the prosecutor, the court set him free.
In the wake of the release of Egbulugha from police custody,
Dunu kicked against the decision of the court and claimed that the
release of Egbulugha had put his life and that of members of his
family at great risk.
In a media report, Dunu said: “I have evidence of the active
participation of my pharmacist (Egbulugha) in the deadly operation,
and releasing him has worsened my plight as members of my family
and myself now live in perpetual fear for our lives.
Why should the police release the chief accomplice in my kidnap?
I not only heard his voice while in captivity, having been with him
since 2003, but also saw him there a few days after the kidnap. He
came asking them where I was kept. When they showed him, he opened
the door where they kept me in chains and our eyes met. I was about
eating when I heard his voice and I normally removed the blindfold.
That was how I saw him and I had the greatest shock of my
life.”
He spoke further: “I feel so bad that the police allowed the
court to set him free, thereby endangering my life.
I don’t think the police carried out a thorough investigation
after the so-called identification parade, which was simply a
charade. Even if the court had cause to grant him bail, the police
know how to go about such cases by re-arresting him.”
However, when Benson Akunya, the lawyer to Egbulugha was
contacted to react to the remarks made in the report, he said:
“Anyway, what I can tell you is that we have spoken before and that
is as much as we can go. The man (Dunu) can say whatever he wants
to say. The court has given a return date and whatever we want to
do, we want to do it in the courtroom. Very soon, we will take
legal steps against him.”
In the light of Dunu’s allegations against Egbulugha, Akuya
raised the alarm that his client’s life is at risk too, stating
that all necessary steps would be taken to secure him.
He took a swipe at Dunu, saying: “If you have alleged that Evans
knows Egbulugha and that they made calls to each other, Evans has
said he doesn’t know him. You also alleged that he stole your goods
and when they did an inventory, your goods were intact.
“We have given the much we can and let them continue with their
own media trial but we will seek redress the proper way and that is
the best. We are not interested in joining issues with him. The
publication we did is okay for now. We have a proper forum where
you can ventilate your grievances,” he said.
Akunya added:
“Ordinarily he (Egbulugha) is not safe right now but something
is being done in that regard. We want to stop making comments until
we have done whatever we want to do. You don’t go to court to say
you want to win a case by force, but what I know is that even if
everything else fails, libel won’t fail. There is nobody that would
read whatever the man (Dunu) has been saying and that won’t agree
that Egbulugha’s name has been so battered. Let the court make its
pronouncement at the right time. If you are not satisfied with the
court of first instance, you can always go to the Appeal
Court.”