Eighty-two days after he was arrested by the Police, the suspected billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, otherwise known as Evans, was on Wednesday arraigned before an Ikeja High Court, Lagos. Evans, who walked into the courtroom around 8:57 am amidst tight security was arraigned by the Lagos State Government before Justice Hakeem Oshodi alongside his accomplices on a two-count charge of conspiracy and kidnapping however, pleaded guilty to the charges.
Looking unperturbed yesterday, Evans was arraigned alongside Uche Amadi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu who also pleaded guilty to the charges. Others are Ogechi Uchechukwu, the only female amongst them, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Chukwunonso Aduba who all pleaded not guilty.
Justice Oshodi ordered that all the male defendants be remanded at Kirikiri Maximum Prison while the female defendant, who pleaded not guilty to all the charges, be kept at the Kirikiri Female Prison.
The prosecution team led by Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem asked the court for adjournment till October 19, 2017 to lay down facts before those who pleaded guilty and subsequently sentence them.
While trial will commence for those who pleaded not guilty. Evans had raked in millions of dollars as ransoms paid to him by his victims’ families before his arrest on June 10, 2017, in one of his mansions at Magodo, Lagos State.
The notorious kidnapper had through his counsel, Olukoya Ogungbeje filed for the abuse of his fundamental human rights before a Lagos Division of the Federal High Court.
He had contended that his continued detention since June 10 without charge amounts to an infringement on his fundamental human rights.
He also argued that the respondents ought to have charged him to court in line with Sections 35 and 36 of the Constitution.
A 27-paragraph affidavit in support of the motion deposed to by Evans’ father, Stephen Onwuamadike, averred that the applicant had been subjected to media trial.
The father had said the media trial and news orchestrated by the respondents continued to generate reactions in both print and electronic media without his son being afforded fair hearing and trial before a court of law.
Meanwhile, Justice Abdulaziz Anka, of a Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos had on Tuesday adjourned till September 5 to hear arguments from Evan’s lawyer, Mr. Ogungbeje and police lawyers on why he should not deliver judgment on the fundamental rights application brought by the kingpin.
The charge against Evans and his accomplices reads in part: “Chukwudidumeme Onwuamadike (M), Uche Amadi (M), Ogechi Uchechukwu (F), Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu (M), Chilaka Ifeanyi (M) and Victor Chukunonso Aduba (M) are charged with the following offences; Conspiracy to Commit a Felony, to wit; kidnapping contrary to Section 411 Criminal Law CAP C17 Laws of Lagos State 2015. “Chukwudidumeme Onwuamadike (M), Uche Amadi (M), Ogechi Uchechukwu (F), Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu (M), Chilaka Ifeanyi (M) and Victor Chukunonso Aduba (M) on the 14th February 2017 at about 7:45pm along Obokun Street, Ilupeju, Lagos, in the Ikeja judicial Division conspired to commit a Felony to with kidnapping.
“Count 2: kidnapping contrary to Section 271(3) of the Criminal Law CAP C17 Laws of Lagos State 2015. “Chukwudidumeme Onwuamadike (M), Uche Amadi (M), Ogechi Uchechukwu (F), Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu (M), Chilaka Ifeanyi (M) and Victor Chukunonso Aduba (M) on the 14th February and 12th April 2017 along Obokun Street, Ilupeju, Lagos, in the Ikeja judicial Division while armed with guns and other weapons did capture, detain and collect a ransom of 223,000 Euros from one Dunu Donatus (M) for his release.”
