PETALING JAYA, Aug 7 — A group of 10 Nigerian men today claimed trial at the Magistrates Court here to rioting, assault and using criminal force to stop four police officers in the discharge of their duty last month.
The 10 were part of a larger number of Nigerians aged 22 to 38 arrested under various immigration offences.
The charge sheets against the 10 listed their crimes as rioting under Section 147 of the Penal Code, assault under Section 332 and using criminal force to deter police officers from discharging their duties under Section 353 of the same law.
The 10 accused of the three assault charges were: Onorwu Chiuanyi Vincent, 28; Augustine Ekene Okoro, 28; Onyeikpe Uzoma Onyekachi, 31; Osuagwu Ndubuisi, 28; Uchenna Stanley Ayozie, 30; Orji Chibuzo Kingsley, 28; Onyiyedi George Oboduagy, 32; Eberredu Daniel Chima, 36; Okeke Charses, 37; and Obilor Macdennis Chinemerem, 23.
The four policemen were named in court as Inspector S. Logenthiran, Corporal Mohd Farid Zakaria, Lance-Corporal Idris Ismail, and Lance-Corporal Mohamed Shah Rizal Abu Hanifah.
The offences were allegedly committed at 11.12pm on July 25, at the Flora Damansara flats in Damansara Perdana.
All 10 acknowledged they understood the charges when read out to them. They pled not guilty.
The use of criminal force and assaults against a public servant carries a two and three-year prison sentence respectively along with a fine, while rioting is an offence that carries a two-year prison term and fine upon conviction.
The group were also charged alongside 10 other Nigerian men with immigration offences such as overstaying and failing to provide valid travel documents.
Their offences were read under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1963 and 14 were charged with not possessing valid passes to enter Malaysia, which is punishable by a fine of up to RM10,000, five years’ imprisonment, and six lashes of the cane.
Those charged with immigration offences were Mathew Kelechi Cletus, Kabuye Christian, Chibuzo Goodluck, Nwokenna Tochukwu Nwabueze, Ususledrock Onyedikachi, Charles Uche Anyanwy, Onorwu Chimuanyi Vincent, Okeke Charses, Orji Chibuzo Kingsley, Uchenna Stanley Ayozie, Onyiyedi George Oboduagy, Eberredu Daniel Chima, Augustine Ekene Okoro and Anoka.
The remaining six were charged under Section 15(1)(c) of the same Act with overstaying, which is punishable by a maximum fine of RM10,000, five years’ imprisonment, or both.
They were Okeke Chinedu Darlington, Aligwe Chinedu, Onyeikpe Uzoma Onyekachi, Osuji Chimobi Progress, Obilor Macdennis Chinemerem and Osuagwu Ndubuisi.
All immigration related offences were allegedly committed on July 25, at the same location in Damansara Perdana, at around 11.50pm.
The charges were read out before Magistrate Mohamad Ikhwan Mohd Nasir while Hakim Amir Abdul Hamid prosecuted.
Lawyers M. Tharuma Ratnam, Renalyn Rivera, and R. Dinesh appeared for several of the accused while some were unrepresented.
Mohamad Ikhwan denied bail for all 20 and set September 5 for the submission of appeals.
