Kidnap: Court decides Evans’s fate Feb 25

December 10, 2021
67 Views

A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has reserved judgment for February 25, 2022, in the case of alleged kidnap kingpin, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, who is facing charges alongside five others.

Evans’ co-defendants are Uche Amadi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chikwa Ifeanyi and Victor Aduba.

They have been standing trial since 2017 on charges of conspiracy and kidnapping.

One of the allegations against them was that they kidnapped the Managing Director of Maydon Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Mr Donatus Dunu, on February 14, 2017.

Justice Hakeem Oshodi fixed judgment date on Friday after entertaining final written addressed by the prosecution and defence.

Evans’s counsel, Mr Victor Opara (SAN), while making his oral submission, asked the court to discharge and acquit Evans of the two counts pressed against him.

The SAN argued that the prosecution failed to link his client to the alleged crime.

Opara argued that Dunu, who was said to be blindfolded throughout his 88-day ordeal in kidnappers’den, did not physically identify Evans as one of his abductors.

“There is also the fatality of the prosecution’s case that there was no identification parade to identify the first defendant (Evans). There was no evidence before Your Lordship to show that PW2 (Dunu) had a clear opportunity of identifying the first defendant,” Opara said.

But the lead prosecution counsel, Mr Adebayo Haroun, maintained that the charges had been proven and urged the court to convict Evans and others as charged.

Haroun said, “When a man has confessed to a crime, you do not need an identification parade.

“There is direct evidence of PW2 (Dunu) testifying about how he was kidnapped, how he escaped and the roles the defendants each played. We have circumstantial evidence linking the first defendant (Evans) to the crime, and we also have confessional statements and video recordings of him. We urge Your Lordship to convict the defendants as charged.”

The judge, after listening to the two sides, fixed February 25, 2022 for judgment.

    Copyright PUNCH.

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]

You may be interested

JUST IN: Court Orders Military To Free 313 Suspected Terrorists, Gives Reason
News
6 views
News
6 views

JUST IN: Court Orders Military To Free 313 Suspected Terrorists, Gives Reason

Webby - March 28, 2024

The military has been directed by a Federal High Court in Borno to release a minimum of 313 suspected terrorists.…

JUST IN: LP Crisis Worsens As BoT Takes Over Party, Shuns Abure, Others
News
2 views
News
2 views

JUST IN: LP Crisis Worsens As BoT Takes Over Party, Shuns Abure, Others

Webby - March 28, 2024

The crisis within the Labour Party (LP) appears to have escalated following reports of a takeover by its Board of…

Abure’s re-election as LP chairman is an illegality, says NLC
News
1 views
News
1 views

Abure’s re-election as LP chairman is an illegality, says NLC

Webby - March 28, 2024

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) says Julius Abure’s re-election as chairman of the Labour Party (LP) is “an illegality”. Abure…

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.