Crime
Sex Trafficking, Racketeering Charges: Sean “Diddy” Combs To Stand Trial In May 2025
A trial date has been set for music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who faces charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
The high-profile case is scheduled to begin on May 5, 2025, in Manhattan federal court.
Combs, 54, was arrested in mid-September on allegations of operating a large-scale criminal enterprise that involved the trafficking and abuse of women.
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Prosecutors have indicated that their investigation is still “very much ongoing,” suggesting the possibility of a superseding indictment, which could delay the trial.
Such an indictment would introduce additional charges, potentially complicating the case further.
As of now, all discovery— the pre-trial phase during which both parties exchange evidence— is expected to be completed by December 31, 2024.
Combs made a court appearance earlier this week, arriving from a Brooklyn jail.
He was accompanied by his mother and six of his children as he stood before Judge Arun Subramanian.
Wearing a tan prison uniform, Combs smiled and waved at his family before embracing his legal team.
The defense team has maintained that Combs is innocent, and he has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The prosecution expects to take three weeks to present its case, while Combs’ defense anticipates needing only one week.
The government’s case focuses on allegations that Combs used his businesses to facilitate trafficking, with events known as “Freak Offs” at the center of the accusations.
These events allegedly involved commercial sex workers who were coerced into performing prolonged sexual acts, some reportedly lasting for days and recorded without consent.
Public outrage has been swift, particularly after prosecutors accused Combs of engaging in a decades-long pattern of abuse toward women in his circle.
As Combs’ mother entered the courthouse, a bystander shouted, “Your son is a predator,” highlighting the growing backlash against the hip-hop star.
In response, Combs’ mother released a statement through her attorney, decrying what she described as a “public lynching” of her son before he has had the chance to defend himself in court.
If convicted, Combs faces a minimum of 15 years in prison, with the possibility of a life sentence.
The next hearing is set for December 18, 2024.
Two men have been arrested by the police in Aba, Abia State, for allegedly vandalizing iron materials at the long-abandoned Aba Textile Mills, situated in the Eziama Industrial Estate.
The suspects, identified as Mr. Ndubuisi Okoronkwo and Mr. Innocent Mbam, were reportedly caught red-handed while cutting and dismantling iron rods from the roofing framework of the facility’s old structures.
Their arrest came after local security operatives, acting on suspicion, tipped off government authorities and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), leading to swift action by the police.
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During interrogation, both men allegedly confessed that they had been hired by one of the managers overseeing the textile mill, who authorized them to carry out the removal of the materials.
Meanwhile, business owners around the area claimed the illegal removal of materials from the premises has been ongoing unnoticed for quite some time.
“We’ve had our suspicions. The textile mill has been shut since 2000, yet trucks keep going in and out of the premises,” a concerned business owner said.
“Only the managers and their security personnel have access to the facility. So we alerted local security, and that’s how the arrests were made.”
When reached for comment, the Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Maureen Chinaka, acknowledged the inquiry but had yet to issue an official response at the time of filing this report.
Three suspects have been arrested by the Oyo State Police Command in connection with the hijacking of a truck loaded with 45,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) along the Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode Road.
The confirmation was made on Sunday through a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adewale Osifeso, in Ibadan.
He revealed that the stolen consignment belonged to NIPCO Petroleum Nigeria Limited.
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Osifeso explained that the police became aware of the incident in the early hours of April 5, 2025, following credible intelligence.
“On April 5, 2025, at approximately 1:00 am, the command’s Monitoring Unit received actionable intelligence regarding a hijacking incident involving a DAF truck with registration number Adamawa YLA 575 ZY on the Ijebu-Ode-Ibadan road,” he stated.
He further revealed that initial findings pointed to the involvement of an armed gang, describing them as “an armed group equipped with sophisticated firearms.”
In response, operatives from the Monitoring Unit were swiftly deployed to track the perpetrators.
Their investigation led them to a filling station at Odo-Ona Kekere, Ibadan, where the hijacked vehicle was located.
“Their efforts led to the discovery of the hijacked truck at the Lincoln Filling Station, Odo-Ona Kekere, Ibadan, where the suspects were in the process of syphoning the PMS,” Osifeso said.
Two suspects — Oyekunle Olaoluwa, 35, and another identified as Akanji Ladele, 51 (real name undisclosed) — were arrested at the filling station.
During questioning, the suspects named one “Femi” as the individual who handed the truck over to them, and who is believed to have coordinated the hijack.
“This revelation led to the identification and subsequent arrest of Basiru Azeez, 30, a pivotal figure in the operation who has since confessed to his role in orchestrating the hijacking and provided details on how the truck was diverted after the crime,” the statement added.
The police have assured residents that efforts are ongoing to identify and apprehend more members of the criminal network behind the incident.
Meanwhile, Osifeso called on members of the public to assist security efforts by promptly reporting any suspicious activity.
“The PPRO, therefore, charged members of the public to stay vigilant and report suspicious activities to the local police, emphasising that active participation is vital to the command’s collective effort in fighting against crime,” the statement concluded.
A N50 billion lawsuit filed by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), against the Federal Government has been struck out by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, who presided over the matter on Thursday, ruled that the suit was no longer sustainable due to “lack of diligent prosecution.”
The decision came after neither Kanu nor representatives of the Federal Government appeared in court for the hearing.
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This was not the first time the case had been stalled. According to the judge, “the case had taken three adjournments due to no representation.”
At the last sitting, only counsel for the Federal Government was present, while Kanu’s legal team was absent.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/462/2022, was originally filed on April 7, 2022, by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, on behalf of Kanu. In the suit, the IPOB leader accused the government of violating his fundamental rights, claiming he was abducted from Kenya and forcibly returned to Nigeria to face trial.
Kanu urged the court to determine “whether the way and manner in which he was abducted in Kenya and extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria is consistent with extant laws.”
He cited legal provisions such as “Article 12(4) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004,” and “Article/Part 5(a) of the African Charter’s principles and guidelines on human and peoples’ rights while countering terrorism in Africa.”
Kanu also sought the court’s view on whether, under “Section 15 of the Extradition Act Cap E25, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004,” he could be lawfully tried on a 15-count amended charge when the offences allegedly do not match those for which he was renditioned.
In total, he requested 11 reliefs, including an order for his release from the Department of State Services (DSS) custody, and a restraint against further prosecution in the criminal matter with charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, currently before Justice Binta Nyako. He also asked for “the sum of N100 million as the cost of this action.”
However, the Federal Government and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), listed as the 1st and 2nd defendants, filed a preliminary objection. In the notice dated June 6 but filed June 27, 2022, they argued that the case was “an abuse of court process.”
They pointed out that Kanu had filed a similar suit with identical facts at the Federal High Court in Umuahia (FHC/UM/CS/30/2022), involving the same parties. As such, they contended, the Abuja court lacked jurisdiction to entertain a duplicate case.
Adding to the confusion in legal representation, Kanu’s counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, informed the court during an earlier proceeding that he had filed a notice to take over the case from Ozekhome.
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