Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of a Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos State, has set September 19, 2022 for judgement in the state government’s action against convicted kidnap kingpin Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike (alias Evans) and an accomplice, Victor Chukwunonso Aduba, over alleged kidnapping.
Evans is on trial alongside Aduba, an ex-soldier, for kidnapping businessman Sylvanus Ahamonu and demanding a ransom of $420,000 from his family.
They are facing four counts of kidnapping and unauthorised possession of firearms.
Aduba told the court that he was a Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSCE) holder and lived in Ojo Military Cantonment. He said he was arrested in respect of the alleged kidnap case on June 24, 2017 and vehemently denied knowing Evans prior to his arrest.
However, the trial judge fixed the date for judgment after listening to the submissions and arguments of the counsel in the suit.
However, at the resumed hearing, defendant counsels, Chuks Muoma (SAN) and Emmanuel Ochai, asked the court to order inquiry into the death of three witnesses in police custody during the trial of the kidnap kingpin.
They told the court that the three witnesses, which were standing trial with the two, died in police custody and that no autopsy was done to reveal the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Court will decide on Evans’ trial on September 19 in the case of kidnapping
They submitted that the fact that they died in custody whereas they were hale and hearty when the police arrested them raises serious questions into the confessional statements obtained from the leader of the gang.
The two defence counsel further submitted that the prosecution has failed in several areas to prove the case against Evans and his colleague beyond reasonable doubt and urged the court to discharge and acquit them.
In his submission, the state prosecution counsel, Mr. Yusuf Sule, however, prayed that the first and second defendants be convicted.
He said that a defendant needed not to be seen at the scene of the crime to be convicted, stressing that though the confession of one person could not be used against another person, there were exemptions where the nexus correlate and interwoven, quoting a Supreme Court judgment.
