Evans, TB Joshua Will Not Escape Justice, Lagos Vows

The Lagos State Government on Wednesday said suspected
kidnapping kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as
Evans and TB Joshua will not escape justice

Evans, who was arrested at his mansion in Magodo area of Lagos
last year, is being prosecuted by the State Government in court
alongside others for masterminding and executing series of high
profile kidnappings and murder in the State.

The State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr
Adeniji Kazeem, who said this at the ongoing Ministerial Press
Briefing held in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, said the
State Government was committed to ensuring the logical conclusion
of all pending cases in court and serve justice to the people.

“On the Evans’ matter, the cases filed against him are ongoing
in court. The issue is that the lawyer representing him is trying
to play some games to delay the matter but in all his games, we
have been defeating him in court.

“We have filed different cases. Some are for kidnapping and some
bordered on murder and his lawyer is fighting all the cases but
what I can assure the people is that we are committed to ensure the
matter is concluded and defeat him at the end of the day,” Kazeem
said.

While reeling out activities of the agencies under the Ministry
in the last one year, the Attorney General said the State
Government received and treated a total number of 11,451 cases
through the Special Task Force Against Land Grabbers, Domestic and
Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) and the Special Offences
(Mobile) Court in the last one year.

He said the government also received 316 inquiries through the
recently unveiled first state-owned DNA and Forensic Centre with 71
active cases currently ongoing bordering on homicide, rape,
toxicology, child trafficking, serology, among others.

According to Kazeem, the Anti-Land Grabbers Task Force designed
by the present administration to fight the menace of forceful
take-over of properties received 1300 petitions out of which 855
were concluded and 530 currently at various stages of
resolution.

“In the period under review, over 35 arrests of suspected
notorious land grabbers were effected while 26 criminal prosecution
cases against suspected land grabbers are presently ongoing,” the
Attorney General said.

Besides, the Attorney General said in a bid to enhance due
diligence in property transaction, the State Government introduced
the Real Estate Electronic Litigation Database designed for the
provision of access to information primarily on properties which
are subject of litigation, adding that since its launch, the portal
has recorded over 1,000,000 hits and over 10,000 consistent users
from Nigeria, United States, United Kingdom, South Africa and
others.

He added that through the Citizens’ Mediation Centre (CMC), the
State Government received a total number of 47,292 new cases free
of charge out of which 25,191 were resolved with others at various
stages of resolution.

“The total value of settlement of debt related matters achieved
by the Centre during the period under review from May 2017 to April
2018 as settlement between parties was N1,352,745,391,” the
Atoorney General said, among other achievements by the State
Government in the justice sector.

Speaking on Hotel and Restaurant Consumption (Fiscalization)
Regulations 2018, Kazeem clarified that it was neither a new law
nor an additional tax, but a regulation aimed at ensuring that
government gets due revenue.

“It is a regulation and not a new law. It was made pursuant to
an existing law that was already in operation. What this regulation
essentially seeks to do is to allow the government to put certain
equipment in the restaurant and hospitality organizations to
properly monitor the revenue that is coming so we can know what
exactly is due to the State Government.

“It is not an additional tax; it is just to enhance transparency
in collection of taxes that are due to the State. So, I want to
clarify that carefully,” Kazeem said.

On other high profile cases, he said it was gratifying to report
that the cases were progressing in court, saying the Synagogue
Church case for instance on the collapsed building which killed
people was progressing well, adding that a no case submission filed
by the accused persons instead of defending the case was recently
dismissed by the Court, while the General Overseer of the Christian
Praying Assembly, Rev. Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, a.k.a Reverend King who
is presently on death roll imposed by the court would have his fate
determined in due course.

The Lagos State Government on Wednesday said suspected
kidnapping kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as
Evans and TB Joshua will not escape justice

Evans, who was arrested at his mansion in Magodo area of Lagos
last year, is being prosecuted by the State Government in court
alongside others for masterminding and executing series of high
profile kidnappings and murder in the State.

The State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr
Adeniji Kazeem, who said this at the ongoing Ministerial Press
Briefing held in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, said the
State Government was committed to ensuring the logical conclusion
of all pending cases in court and serve justice to the people.

“On the Evans’ matter, the cases filed against him are ongoing
in court. The issue is that the lawyer representing him is trying
to play some games to delay the matter but in all his games, we
have been defeating him in court.

“We have filed different cases. Some are for kidnapping and some
bordered on murder and his lawyer is fighting all the cases but
what I can assure the people is that we are committed to ensure the
matter is concluded and defeat him at the end of the day,” Kazeem
said.

While reeling out activities of the agencies under the Ministry
in the last one year, the Attorney General said the State
Government received and treated a total number of 11,451 cases
through the Special Task Force Against Land Grabbers, Domestic and
Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) and the Special Offences
(Mobile) Court in the last one year.

He said the government also received 316 inquiries through the
recently unveiled first state-owned DNA and Forensic Centre with 71
active cases currently ongoing bordering on homicide, rape,
toxicology, child trafficking, serology, among others.

According to Kazeem, the Anti-Land Grabbers Task Force designed
by the present administration to fight the menace of forceful
take-over of properties received 1300 petitions out of which 855
were concluded and 530 currently at various stages of
resolution.

“In the period under review, over 35 arrests of suspected
notorious land grabbers were effected while 26 criminal prosecution
cases against suspected land grabbers are presently ongoing,” the
Attorney General said.

Besides, the Attorney General said in a bid to enhance due
diligence in property transaction, the State Government introduced
the Real Estate Electronic Litigation Database designed for the
provision of access to information primarily on properties which
are subject of litigation, adding that since its launch, the portal
has recorded over 1,000,000 hits and over 10,000 consistent users
from Nigeria, United States, United Kingdom, South Africa and
others.

He added that through the Citizens’ Mediation Centre (CMC), the
State Government received a total number of 47,292 new cases free
of charge out of which 25,191 were resolved with others at various
stages of resolution.

“The total value of settlement of debt related matters achieved
by the Centre during the period under review from May 2017 to April
2018 as settlement between parties was N1,352,745,391,” the
Atoorney General said, among other achievements by the State
Government in the justice sector.

Speaking on Hotel and Restaurant Consumption (Fiscalization)
Regulations 2018, Kazeem clarified that it was neither a new law
nor an additional tax, but a regulation aimed at ensuring that
government gets due revenue.

“It is a regulation and not a new law. It was made pursuant to
an existing law that was already in operation. What this regulation
essentially seeks to do is to allow the government to put certain
equipment in the restaurant and hospitality organizations to
properly monitor the revenue that is coming so we can know what
exactly is due to the State Government.

“It is not an additional tax; it is just to enhance transparency
in collection of taxes that are due to the State. So, I want to
clarify that carefully,” Kazeem said.

On other high profile cases, he said it was gratifying to report
that the cases were progressing in court, saying the Synagogue
Church case for instance on the collapsed building which killed
people was progressing well, adding that a no case submission filed
by the accused persons instead of defending the case was recently
dismissed by the Court, while the General Overseer of the Christian
Praying Assembly, Rev. Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, a.k.a Reverend King who
is presently on death roll imposed by the court would have his fate
determined in due course.