Court Fixes Date To Determine Fate Of Evans, Others

The High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State, has slated the case of alleged billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans and five others charged with conspiracy and kidnapping for February 25, 2022.

Evans and his co-defendants, Uche Amadi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Aduba are standing trial on conspiracy and kidnapping.

The suspects were accused of abducting the Managing Director of Maydon Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Donatus Dunu, on Feb. 14, 2017.

Evans and his co-defendants are being tried before Justices Hakeem Oshodi of an Ikeja High Court, Oluwatoyin Taiwo of an Ikeja Special Offences Court, and Adedayo Akintoye of an Igbosere High Court.

Justice Oshodi on Friday gave the judgment date after oral submissions of final written addresses by prosecution and defence counsel.

Evans’s counsel, Mr Victor Opara (SAN), while making his oral submission, asked the court to discharge and acquit Evans of the two-count charge before it.

In a final written address dated Nov. 1, Opara had said there was no direct evidence linking Evans to the alleged crimes.

He told the court that Dunu, the alleged kidnap victim, said to be blindfolded throughout his 88-day ordeal, did not state to the court in his testimony, that he could physically identify Evans.

Opara said, “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.”

Lead prosecution counsel, Mr Adebayo Haroun, via a final written address dated Nov. 30, had asked the court to convict the defendants as charged.

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

“There is direct evidence of PW2 (Dunu) testifying of 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.”

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