LAGOS—NOTORIOUS kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike aka Evans, yesterday, pleaded guilty
to the two-count charge of conspiracy and
kidnapping preferred against him by Lagos State. “My Lord, I am guilty,” Evans told the court when
the charge was read to him by the Attorney General
and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem, who
led the Lagos State prosecution team. Evans and other suspects Evans was arraigned alongside five others – Uche
Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Okwuchukwu
Nwachuckwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor
Chukwunonso Aduba. before an Ikeja High Court
amid tight security over alleged conspiracy and
kidnapping. Evans, Uche Amadi and Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu,
pleaded guilty, while the third defendant, Ogechi
Uchechukwu, a female, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor
Chukwunonso Aduba pleaded not guilty. Kazeem, in the charge, stated that the defendants
committed the alleged offence between February
14 and April 12, 2017. He said that the incident took place at about
7:45pm, along Obokun Street, Ilupeju, Lagos. The AG, also stated that on April 12, Evans alongside
the other five defendants armed with guns and
other weapons captured, detained and collected a
ransom of 223,000 Euros from one Duru Donatus for
his release. According to the prosecutor, the offences
committed are punishable under sections 411 and
271 (3) of the Criminal Law Cap C17 Laws of Lagos
State 2015. Remand in prison After the arraignment the AG, asked Justice
Hakeem Oshodi to remand the defendants in prison
custody. He said: “We would be asking for remand in
custody and also for an adjournment to take trial for
those that pleaded not guilty, so that we can come
back for facts and sentence of the ones that
pleaded guilty.” Before the adjournment Justice Oshodi asked the
AG, the prison he wanted and the AG said,
‘’Kirikiri Maximum Prison.’’ However, Justice Oshodi remanded the first,
second, fourth, fifth and sixth defendants in Kirikiri
Maximum Prison, while the third defendant was
remanded in the female wing of Kirikiri Prisons. He adjourned the case to October 19, for trial. The super cop, ACP Abba Kyari is among 10 other
witnesses lined up by the Lagos State government
to prove the case of conspiracy and kidnapping
pressed against Evans and five others. Evans forced to plead guilty – Lawyer The counsel to the first, second, third and fifth
defendants, Olukoya Ogunbeje, said they would not
opposed to the adjournment. His words: ‘’The defence team has just had the
opportunity of meeting our clients this morning in
court. We were just served the document in the
open court, this morning. Thirdly, all the defendants
have since been in the custody of the Police and we
have not had the opportunity of conferring with them regarding the offences, which are capital in
nature. We would like to ask for an adjournment to
confer with our clients. “Before the next adjourned date we would have
conferred with our clients as this is a capital
offence.’’ However, Olukoya Ogungbeje, said the Evans was
forced to plead guilty to the offences, claiming that
he was never allowed to have consultations with
him until yesterday when he was brought to court. In a press statement, Ogungbeje, said: “After the
purported guilty plea of our client and the court
rose. We stressed to have brief discussion time with
our client and ‘he told us clearly that the police
told him to plead guilty or the police will kill him. “This is definitely unconstitutional and we intend
to challenge this unconstitutional procedure to
hoodwink, unduly influence, brainwash and coerce
an accused into entering a guilty plea against his
wish and freewill. “He pointedly told us that being informed now, he
will change his ‘police motivated guilty plea’ to
‘not guilty’ at the next adjourned date. “It is settled law that plea of guilty must be made
voluntary and direct devoid of any influence,
coercion and manipulation. “In the meantime, after our brief conferring with
our client in open court, he made it known to us that
he will change his police motivated guilty plea to
not guilty at the next adjourned date. We have a
responsibility to assist the cause of justice in
accordance with the law.” The police on June 10, 2017, arrested the kidnap
kingpin in Lagos after five years of trailing him.
Source:https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/kidnapping-im-guilty-evans-2-others-tell-court/