Tony John, Port Harcourt
Suspected serial killer, Gracious David West, has pleaded not guilty to all the 10-count charges read against him in court yesterday. West, who is being tried before Justice Adolphus Enebeli of Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt for murder of nine girls in similar circumstances in several hotels in the state capital, had three weeks ago pleaded guilty in nine of the 10-count charges. But, suddenly, he made a U-turn when the matter came up in court.
He, however, pleaded with the court to direct the police to release his wristwatch, money and neck chains. He was remanded in prison by Enebeli, following an oral application by counsel for the state, Chidi Eke, to enable the state prove its case
Second accused person, Nimi ThankGod, also pleaded not guilty on the 11th count charge. ThankGod, who is the manager of the Tourist Guest House at 29 Bende Street, Port Harcourt, where one of the victims was killed, was being charged with conspiring to remove the body of the victim from the hotel and dumping it along Aggrey Road.
However, ThankGod was later granted bail in the sum of N500, 000, with one surety in like sum. ThankGod’s counsel, Edward Obiokor, while applying for the bail of his client, reminded the court that the hotel manager was charged for misconduct with the corpse and not murder. He added that she even helped to rescue one of the victims who the prime suspect also attempted to murder in the same hotel, adding that the lucky victim survived the attack and is alive.
In an interview with newsmen shortly after the sitting, the lead prosecutor from the state Ministry of Justice, Eke, who represented the Attorney-General, said: “David-West was arraigned before this same court for the killing of nine young women in the state, he pleaded guilty to nine of the 10 charges given to him. “Today, he has changed his guilty plea to not guilty. However, his guilty plea did not make any difference because the court will still write not guilty for him, because he is charged with capital offence.”
The court adjourned the case till December 9, 11, 13, 16, 18, 19 and 20, for hearing in the matter. The trial judge, Enebeli, promised to adjourn all other cases before him in each of these days to ensure speedy justice delivery.
In a related development, Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mustapha Dandaura, has disclosed that some of the bodies of the girls, who were killed by Gracious David West, are yet to be claimed by their relatives from the mortuary.
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