20 Nigerians Charged With Rioting At Flora Damansara Condo Pleaded Not Guilty

Accused Nigerians taken to court

On Wednesday 7th of August 2019, a total of twenty Nigerians pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate's Court to four charges of rioting and attacking police officers at the Flora Damansara condominium last month July, 2019.

The following are the names of accused persons: 

Onowu Chimuanyi Vincent
Augustine Ekene Okora
Onyeikpe Uzoma Onyekachi
Ndubuisi Osuagwu
Uchenna Stanley Ayozie
Eberredu Daniel Chima
Okeke Charses
Obilor Macdennis Chinemerem
Osuji Chimobi
Chinedu Aligwe
Kabuye Christian
Nwokenna Tochukwu Nwabueze
Chibuzo Goodluck
Okeke Chinedu Darlington
Charles Uche Anyanwu
Ususledrock Onyedikachi
Mathew Kelechi Cletus
Anoka

They all arrived at the Petaling Jaya court complex at about 10am Wednesday 7th August 2019 in a Black Maria under tight police surveillance.

They claimed trial after the charges were read to them in English before magistrate Mohamad Ikhwan Mohd Nasir.

For the first three charges, 10 of them were charged with disturbing public order by rioting, causing injury to four police officers and using criminal force to intimidate the police officers.

For rioting, they were charged under Section 147 of the Penal Code which carries a two year jail term, a fine or both upon conviction.

For causing hurt to the police officers on duty, the same 10 men were charged under Section 332 of the Penal Code which carries a three year jail term, a fine or both upon conviction.

For using criminal force, they were charged under Section 353 of the Penal Code which carries a two year jail term, fine or both upon conviction.

All the offences were committed at Block F, Flora Damansara at about 11:12pm in July. In addition, all of the 20 men were also charged under the Immigration Act, six pleaded not guilty to overstaying in the country.

They were charged under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and punishable under Section 15(4) of the same Act, which carries a maximum of RM10,000 fine or maximum of five years jail term or both upon conviction.

At the same time, 14 of them were charged with staying in the country without any legal permit at a hotel at about 12:20am on 29 July 2019 and the charge was framed under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, also punishable under Section 6(3) of the same Act.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Hakim Amir Abdul Hamid prosecuted while three lawyers M. Tharuma Ratnam, Siti Rohaya Mohd Tajuddin and Dinesh Ramachandran represented the accused.

The court did not grant bail for all accused, and the case is adjourned up until 5th September, 2019.

In the incident on July 26th, four policemen were hurt after being attacked by a group of African men during a raid at an apartment in Flora Damansara. The raid was being conducted as part of an investigation into an online scam.