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Tag: Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike

  • Appeal Court dismisses Evans’ suit challenging his detention 

    The Court of Appeal, Lagos division, Thursday dismissed a fundamental rights enforcement appeal filed by suspected billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans.

    Evans, in the twilight of his arrest and detention, approached a Federal High Court in Lagos, challenging his arrest and alleged detention beyond the time allowed by law, his continued detention without trial or arraignment within the time allowed by law and his subjection to Media Trial by the Police.

    Read Also:‘Why kidnap attempt on Young Shall Grow Motors boss by Evans failed’

    But, on January 16, 2018, Justice Abdulazeez Anka held that Evans’ claims were not meritorious.

    Dissatisfied, Evans through his counsel, Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje, filed a Notice of Appeal dated January 29, 2018.

    But the Police, through its counsel, Inspector Emmanuel Eze of the State Intelligence and Criminal Investigation Department (SICID), Panti, Lagos, opposed him.

    Yesterday, a three-man panel of the appellate court, in a unanimous ruling delivered by Justice A.U. Ogakwu, upheld the lower court’s decision,

    “The appeal lacks merit and is hereby dismissed with no order of cost,” Justice Ogakwu held.

  • ‘I was tortured by SARS’, Evans tells court

    Kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike alias Evans on Friday narrated to an Ikeja high court how he was allegedly tortured by members of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

    Evans narrated his experience during the continuation of a trial-within-trial at an Ikeja High Court where he is facing trial on a two-count charge conspiracy and  kidnapping.

    He is trial before Justice Hakeem Oshodi alongside five other members of his gang.

    Before Evans’ testimony a five minute 33-second video  recording was played in the courtroom.

    The video recording, showed Inspector Idowu Haruna, a member of the IGP Intelligence Response Team sitting beside Evans cautioning him and taking his statement.

    Evans defence counsel, Mr Olanrewaju Ajanaku,  however disputed the validity of the recording by claiming it was heavily edited.

    Evans while being led in evidence by Ajanaku, described himself as a businessman dealing in haulage and ornaments and resident at No. 3, Fred Soyebode Street,  Magodo Lagos.

    In vivid detail,  Evans described how he was tortured by police officers after his arrest.

    “Insp Idowu Haruna (member of IGP Intelligence Response Team)  took me to Abuja and brought me back to Lagos where I was at the Inspector General (IG) Guest House at Obalende,  Lagos.

    “Sunny the 2 I/C (second in command) to Abba Kyari,  Mr Christian Ugu,  Mr Phillip and other police officers working with them were there.

    “Idowu Haruna brought about 25 sheets of paper and asked me to sign,  that day, my mind told me not to sign because it might be my death warrant.

    “Mr Phillip put his hand in his pocket and brought out a brown hospital card,  he showed it to me and told me to sign it while saying that do you think that we are joking here, he said if anything happens to me here this card covers everything.

    “Mr Phillip said the police will not be held responsible and before I knew Mr Christian slapped me and that was how they started beating me,” Evans told the court.

    The alleged kidnap kingpin gave more details to the court how the police officers tortured him and made him witness executions in a bid to get him to admit to his crimes.

    He said: “Mr Christian Ugu was smoking,  he quenched the cigarette on my hand, My Lord look at my head where they beat me,  My Lord look at my hand.

    “They took me to the backyard of the I. G guesthouse, I sustained injuries on my head and body and Mr Phillip asked the policemen to walk on me and when I started bleeding,  he said you think we are joking here.

    “At the backyard,  I saw some people that I was paraded with, they were wearing leg chains,  some of them had bullet wounds on their legs and Mr Phillip ordered Idowu Haruna to bring a big brown cellotape, handkerchief and polybags.

    “Idowu Haruna forced a handkerchief into the mouth of one of them,  he used the cellotape to tightly tape his mouth and face and put a polybag over his head and cellotaped it and used another poly bag and cellotaped it for the second time and they left the man on the ground.

    “The man on the ground was shaking,  he pissed (urinated) on his body,  he poo pooed (defecated) on his body and after a while he went quiet.

    “Idowu Haruna went to the man and stepped on his body and he was unresponsive and he told me can you see I have travelled him.”

    Evans told the court that fourpersons were executed in the same manner by the police officers in his presence.

    “I was brought before them and I started begging, asking them what do they want me to do and they told me to co-operate with them and I said okay that I will do anything they wanted me to do.

    “Phillip asked them to take me to the house and he asked if I knew the method of killing and I said no, they said that it is called ‘Saddam Hussein’.

    “He said that there is no way an autopsy can predict the cause of death of the five people they had just killed and that those people have travelled.”

    Evans said after witnessing the execution, the 25 sheets of paper were brought for him to sign by the police.

    He recalled  trembling with fear saying that Mr Sunny,  the second in command to Mr Abba Kyari the Head of the IGP Intelligence Response Team asked Inspector Haruna to offer him a can of cold Fanta.

    “When the Fanta was given to me,  I drank it and after a few minutes they brought the 25 sheets of paper for me and I signed them.

    “Some things were written on some of the sheets of paper while some were blank,  that was how I was forced to sign the confessional statements,” Evans said.

    On cross-examination by Ms Titilayo Shitta-Bey,  the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Evans confirmed his name and the names of his parents and denied knowing the officers before his arrest.

    “I am 38-years-old,  I was born on April 29, 1980, my mother’s name is Mrs Chinwe Onwuamadike and my father is Mr Stephen Onwuamadike.

    “I did not know Inspector Haruna,  Abba Kyari before my arrest. I am the one in the video,  I was cautioned in the video but after the cautionary words,  I was forced to sign.

    “The story I told the court was never an afterthought,  SARS killed more than 30 people in my presence,  the killings took place at the IG guesthouse in Ikoyi.

    “On the day I was arrested I was arrested in my house and I was taken to Ikeja SARS Station,  journalists were there,  they had beaten the hell out of me in my house,  I was interviewed by the journalists on Sunday, a day after I was arrested on Saturday.

    “When I was taken to the Station, there was a field, I was in a car while I was waiting for Abba Kyari to come.

    “Abba Kyari when he came, told me to beg for forgiveness in my interview with journalists  and also to inform the world I had cancer which I don’t have. The police killed one Felix Chinemeri in my presence,”  he said.

    While being re-examined by Ajanaku,  his defense counsel,  Evans said that he had not spoken to journalists before he made his alleged confessional statement to the police.

    Earlier during proceedings, Insp Idowu Haruna was cross-examined by Ajanaku.
    He told the court it took more than an hour to obtain Evans’ statement.

    Haruna denied that Evans changed his clothes because of blood stains from torture before the video of Evans giving his confessional statement was made.

    He denied editing the five minute and 33- second video of Evans  giving his statement to the police.

    “I never threatened to kill the first  defendant (Evans) and I never created fear in him by killing people in his presence,” Haruna said.

    Evans is standing trial alongside Uche Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba.

    They were arraigned on August  30, 2017 on two counts of conspiracy.
    Evans and  co-defendants  pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them by the state.

    Justice Hakeem Oshodi adjourned the case until November 23 for continuation of defence in the trial-within-trial

  • Evans thought he’d never be arrested, says witness

    The Lagos State High Court in Igbosere on Wednesday heard that suspected multi-millionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike (alias Evans) considered himself invincible.

    Testifying in his trial, Police Inspector Idowu Haruna said Evans never believed he could be arrested.

    According to him, Evans exclaimed during his arrest: ‘Oh God! I never knew this day will come!’

    He said Evans promised to cooperate with the Police by confessing to his alleged crime.

    Read Also: I paid $1m ransom to Evans, says witness

    Evans is facing two separate charges bordering on conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping and attempted murder before Justice Adedayo Akintoye.

    Haruna said Evans made his statement to the Police voluntarily and without duress or torture.

    Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Dr Jide Martin, the witness said Evans’ statement was recorded on June 26, 2017 at 2 pm at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) office in Ikeja.

    He said Evans narrated how he and his accomplices kidnapped Godwin Okorafor.

    A consultant radiologist from the Paramount Life Care Diagnosis Center, Samuel Oyemakinde, in the first charge, tendered a medical report and an X-RAY result showing that a kidnap victim, James Uduji, sustained a gunshot wound.

    Oyemakinde, who was subpoenaed to give evidence, said there was a linear foreign body lodged in the victim’s upper left lung zone.

    Justice Akintoye adjourned until November 2 for continuation of trial.

  • Evans: Absence of defence counsel stall trial

    The trial of alleged Kidnap Kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike also known as Evans before a Lagos High Court, Igbosere was stalled on Monday due to the absence of his lawyer from the court.

    At the resumed proceedings on Monday, the court was informed that Evans’ counsel Mr Olarenwaju Ajanaku sent in a letter that he would not be available and asked for an adjournment.

    Evans is facing two separate charges, bordering on conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping and attempted murder, before Justice Adedayo Akintoye.

    In the first charge, Evans is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba.

    In the second charge, he is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Linus Okpara and Victor Aduba.

    At the last adjourned date, a fifth prosecution witness, Izuchukwu Ezeuko, had told the court of how he travelled from Lagos to Eastern part of the country to drop $1 million ransom to the alleged kidnappers of his employer.

    Ezeuko, a manager in the firm of the victim of the alleged kidnap kingpin, Mr James Uduji, had made the revelation while giving evidence before Justice Akintoye.

    He had also told the court that he agreed to travel from Lagos to the east to drop the ransom in order to save his boss’ life.

    Ezeuko had narrated to the court how he paid $1 million ransom in two tranches of $800, 000 and $200,000 dollars to the kidnappers of his employer.

    Led in evidence in Chief by the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice Lagos State Mr Adeniji Kazeem (SAN), Ezeuko had told the court that on September 7, 2015, his employer came to the factory at Agbara as he usually does, adding that at about 5.00pm he received a call that his employer who had left the factory for home was kidnapped.

    Read Also: Two suspected cultists face robbery, theft charge

    However, after some weeks of the alleged kidnap on October 10, 2015, he got a call from somebody on a private number, who said he should speak with his boss.

    “My boss then spoke to me and said if I want him alive, I should go to the east to deliver money to the alleged kidnappers.

    “I went to FESTAC and met Mr Edwin Uduji, the victim’s brother, who arranged the first $800, 000 for me to travel with.

    “On October 11, which was the next day, I drove down to the east with the victim’s elder sister, in the east, a voice gave us instructions on how to drop the money,” Ezeuko said.

    Another witness, Sergeant Kingsley Harold had also given evidence in the first charge in which Evans is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba, for alleged kidnap of Mr Donatus.

    Harold who was led by Dr Jide Martins said after Evans was arrested, he was asked to make a statement at the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS)office Ikeja but Evans said he was not too good in writing.

    The case has been adjourned till October 24, for continuation of trial.

  • ‘Evans shot me, pretended to be a doctor’

    A prosecution witness, Chief James Uduji, on Friday told a Lagos High Court in Igbosere that suspected ‘billionaire’ kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, a.k.a Evans, shot him during his kidnap and afterwards pretended to be a doctor.

    Uduji told Justice Adedayo Akintoye that Evans was the driver of the Lexus 470 SUV which he and three other members of his gang used during the operation.

    The witness testified at the commencement of the prosecution’s case against Evans and his co-defendants; Joseph Emeka, Linus Okpara and Victor Aduba.

    The four were arraigned on June 26 following the dismissal of Evans’ objection to a five-count charge of conspiracy, kidnapping and attempted murder, preferred against them by the Lagos State Government.

    The defendants and others at large allegedly committed the offences on September 7, 2015, at Seventh Avenue, Festac Town, Lagos.

    The allegedly conspired and kidnapped Uduji, obtained a ransom of $1.2 million dollars and shot him on the shoulder while trying to kill him.

    They pleaded not guilty.

    Evans is also facing another charge of conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping and attempted murder, before the same judge.

    In this charge, he is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba.

    Led in Examination-in-Chief by prosecution counsel Adebayo Haroun, Uduji narrated yesterday how he was kidnapped on September 7, 2015, by four armed men on his way home from his factory at Agbara in Ogun State.

    He said the incident took place very close to his house at 7th Avenue area of Festac Town, Lagos.
    Uduji said the alleged kidnappers drove a Lexus 470 SUV and fired several gun shots during the kidnap operation.

    The witness said he was surprised to see the men shooting towards his vehicle, adding that he thought they were the police.

    Uduji said: “I was inside my Hilux van with my two drivers when the men came and pulled me out of my vehicle and dragged me inside their own vehicle.

    “I was not blindfolded at this point, so I saw the men clearly and the man at the steering wheel with a gun was Evans; he is the only one I can recognise among the four,” Uduji said.

    The witness testified that it was when he was dragged out of his vehicle, that he noticed that he was stained with blood.

    “I then realised I had sustained a bullet wounds,” he explained.

    Uduji said the kidnappers called a doctor on phone who treated his bullet wound at their destination.

    The witness said he was given two tetanus injections for seven days, adding that Evans was the so called doctor who treated him.

    He said that he stayed for 45 days in captivity and a ransom of 1.2 million dollars was paid before he was released by the alleged kidnappers.

    Uduji told the court that the ransom was paid in three instalments by his brothers, adding that he was released eight days after the ransom was paid.

    The witness was cross-examined by all the defendants’ counsel, Mr Olarewaju Ajanaku who represented Evans, Mr Ogedi Ogu who represented the second defenant and Mr Emmanuel Ochai for the fourth defendant.

    Ajanaku observed that the specific date when Uduji was released from the kidnappers was not mentioned in the statement he made at the police station.

    He also stated that the date which the witness told the court that he made the statement at the police station was different from the date contained in the statement.

    Read Also: Judge angry over delay in Evans’ trial

    According to the charge, the defendants also allegedly fired shots at Mr Donatus Nwoye which hit him on the hand.
    The court heard that they also shot Jereome Okezie, Uduji’s driver, on the hand and head.

    At the conclusion of Uduji’s testimony, the prosecution called Jerome Okezie, as its second witness.
    Okezie testified that he sustained bullet wounds from the kidnappers’ gun shots, adding that he pretended to be dead after he was shot.

    He said he was taken to the hospital by some people after the kidnappers took his boss away.

    The offences, according to the prosecution, contravened Sections 230 (a) and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

    Justice Akintoye adjourned further proceedings till September 17.

  • Witness’ absence stalls Evans’ trial

    A Lagos High Court in Igbosere Thurday adjourned Friday further hearing in the trial of suspected ‘billionaire’ kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike alias Evans, following the prosecution witness’ absence.

    Justice Adedayo Akintoye fixed the date following assurances from prosecution counsel Adebayo Haroun that the witness, a Police Inspector, would be available to testify Friday.

    Read Also:Evans’ bid to stop trial fails again

    Haroun told the judge that the Inspector was engaged elsewhere on official assignment.

    “The witness is on another assignment. But he will be here tomorrow,” he said.

    The trial, which last held on June 26, 2018, should have resumed Thursday following the end of the annual vacation for judges.

    Evans is facing two separate charges bordering on conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping and attempted murder, before Justice Akintoye.

    In the first charge, Evans is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba.

    In the second charge, he is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Linus Okpara and Victor Aduba.

    Both trials were adjourned till Friday.

    Evans is also facing two other charges before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, and a fifth one before Justice Hakeem Oshodi.

    In one of the two charges before Justice Taiwo, the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) accused Evans and three others of killing two persons in their failed attempt to kidnap the Chairman of Young Shall Grow Motors, Obianodo Vincent.

    The criminal operation was said to have been carried out by the defendants around 11pm on August 27, 2013 on Third Avenue, FESTAC Town, Lagos.

    Those charged along with Evans were Joseph Emeka, Chiemeka Arinze and Udeme Upong.
    The seven counts against them border on attempted murder, murder, kidnapping and illegal firearms deal.

  • Evans: Court rules September 26 on admissibility of confessional statement

    Justice Hakeem Oshodi of an Ikeja High Court will on September 26, 2018 rule on the admissibility of confessional statement made by the alleged billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike popularly known as Evans.

    The trial judge fixed the date after listening to the arguments of counsels on the admissibility of the confessional statement made to the police when Evans was arrested.

    Earlier at the resumed hearing of the matter, Evans new counsel, Mr Chino Obiagwu had prayed the court for short adjournment to enable him study the case file.

    The counsel to the fifth and sixth defendants, Agwulanna Uzoukwu and Emmanuel Ochai opposed the request for adjournment, stating that several adjournments have been affecting their clients liberty.

    The trial judge, Justice Oshodi, agreed with the submission of Uzoukwu and Ochai and declined the request for adjournment by Obiagwu and advised him against filing frivolous application.

    “I cannot come from home during vacation to be told that the matter will not go on for one excuses or the other. Counsel should desists from filling frivolous application targeting at stalling the trial. Parties must get their witness ready so that justice will be served within reasonable time frame.”

    He ordered prosecution for the continuation of the trial.

    Read Also: Evans asks court to quash criminal charges

    It would be recalled that proceedings of June 26 was put on hold as a result of a new counsel, Mr. Noel Brown who took over from Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje who was counsel on commencement of Evans” trial.

    Evans is standing trial alongside Uche Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba.

    They were arraigned on August 30, 2017, on two count charges of conspiracy and kidnapping of the Chief Executive Officer of Maydon Pharmaceutical Limited, Donatus Dunu, from whose family they allegedly collected €223,000 (N100m) as ransom.

    They pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

    However, the prosecution counsel, Mr Adebayo Haroun led the witness,  Inspector, Idowu Haruna , who is a member of Intelligent Response Team (IRT) that arrested the defendants and conducted investigation to narrate the outcome of the investigations.

    Inspector Haruna in his testimony told the court that his five-man team took over the investigation from Lagos State Command based on the directives of the Inspector General of Police which led to the arrest of all the defendants.

    He said upon their arrest, the defendants made confessional statements was under a conducive environment and without duress.

    The prosecution however sought to tender in evidence the confectional statement of first defendant (Evans) together with video recording of his statement.

    Evans counsel, Obiagwu opposed it as a result of which Justice Oshodi ordered a trial within trial.

    During the trial within trial, Haruna told the court that Evans was cautioned before volunteered his statement under conducive environment.

    “His statement was not recorded under duress. I did not promise him anything before he volunteered his statement. The environment was very relaxed and he (Evans) confirmed telling me the truth. At that time, nobody was armed and nothing was used to threaten him. His statement was also video recorded and it was later transferred into compact disc (CD).”

    The prosecution counsel therefore requested to show the video in the open court to prove that Evans voluntarily made the statement.

    Again Obiagwu opposed it saying that the document does not comply with the Section 84 of the Evidence Act.

    Prosecution Haroun, in his response contended that the video complied with section 84 (4)(C) and Dickson V Sylva & Ors  2016 LPELR.

    Justice Oshodi subsequently adjourned for continuation of trial and ruling on the admissibility of the document.

  • Evans abandoned as lawyer withdraws from kidnap cases

    Suspected billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, a.k.a Evans, has no lawyer to handle  his criminal and civil matters for now.

    His  former counsel, Olukoya Ogungbeje, yesterday withdrew his representation,citing  ‘personal reasons’.

    Ogungbeje had represented  Evans in his multiple kidnapping, murder and attempted murder trials at the Lagos High Court and two civil suits at the Federal High Court in Lagos.

    The lawyer,in a  June 13 letter, claimed that he and his colleagues in the matter had been receiving  threats to their lives.

    He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state categorically that we have fought a good fight this far despite repeated and sustained threats to my life and my defence lawyers.

    “I dare say we have no regrets whatsoever having conducted the criminal charges involving our client this far.

    Read Also:I paid €233,000 to Evans for my boss’ release, witness tells court

    “For the sake of history, we have been able to enrich the basic principles of our criminal jurisprudence, especially the principle premised on ‘an accused person being presumed innocent until the contrary is proved’ no matter the public opinion and criticism”.

    Ogungbeje also claimed that his team kept the Lagos State Prosecution team on its toes in the art of forensic, proper and thorough investigation and prosecution of the accused persons.

    Evans was arrested on June 10, 2017 in his Magodo, Lagos mansion.

    He is currently facing five criminal charges before three Lagos High Court judges, Justice Hakeem Oshodi, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo and Justice Adedayo Akintoye.

    In the case before Justice Hakeem Oshodi which is expected to resume on June 22, Evans, Uche Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Aduba are facing a two-count of conspiracy and kidnapping of one Mr. Donatus Dunu who was the last victim allegedly kidnapped by the group before their arrest in June 2017.

     

     

  • Again, Evans says court can’t try him

    Suspected billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, a.k.a Evans, on Friday asked a Lagos High Court in Igbosere to quash all the five charges filed against him by the Lagos State Government.
    Evans told Justice Adedayo Akintoye that his trial was an abuse of court processes because similar charges had been filed against him by the state at the Ikeja Division of the court.
    According to him, the law requires that all the cases must be consolidated and brought before one judge.
    His trial before Justice Akintoye is the fourth and fifth in a series of murder, attempted murder and kidnap charges brought against him by the state since his arrest last June 10 in his Magodo, Lagos mansion.
    But only two charges are before Justice Akintoye. Three multiple-count charges are before Justices Hakeem Oshodi and Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Ikeja High Court.

    Read Also: Video of Evans confession for kidnapping shown in court

    In the case before Justice Akintoye, Evans and three others are facing a fresh five-count charge of conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping and attempted murder.
    His co-defendants are: Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba.
    In the second charge, Evans, Joseph Emeka, Linus Okpara and Victor Aduba are facing similar counts.
    At the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, Evans’ counsel, Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje, argued that all the charges were “grossly defective, repetitive and an abuse of court processes”.
    Ogungbeje said: “Apart from the counts being of same offence, same section of the law (Section 153 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) is being provided in these counts.
    “I submit that the prosecution misfired by bringing different charges and instituting the same case in different courts.
    “I urge Your Lordship to quash the charge because it is defective and an abuse of court process.”
    But Director for Public Prosecutions (DPP), Ms Titilayo Shitta-Bey, opposed him.
    She said: “The general rule is that every offence must be in a separate count.”
    Shitta-Bey stated that the first defendant was charged with attempt to murder Chief James Udoji in count three, while in count four, he was charged with attempt to murder Mr Donald Nwonye.
    “It will be against the provisions of the law to lump the two offences in one count,” she added.
    Shitta-Bey further explained that other charges filed against the first defendant before other judges involved different defendants committing differnt offences against different victims at different locations and times.
    She urged the court to dismiss the application.
    Shitta-Bey also countered the application of the third defendant, Linus Okpara, in the second charge, which urged the court to quash the two-count charge preferred against him, on the ground that it disclosed no prima facie case.
    She said the proof of evidence disclosed where the third defendant admitted collecting the sum of N2 million for the first defendant in relation to one of the victims, Uche Okorafor.
    “I, therefore, urge the court to discountenance the third defendant’s argument,” the DPP said.
    Justuce Akintoye adjourned till June 26 for ruling.

  • Court dismisses Evans N200m suit over seized trucks

    The Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday dismissed a suit by suspected millionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike (alias Evans), seeking the release of his seized 25 Mack trucks.

    Through his lawyer Olukoya Ogungbeje, Evans said the trucks were seized without a court order.

    Justice Rabiu Hadiza Shagari held that the suit lacked merit.

    Ogungbeje had argued that the police forcefully confiscated the trucks from Evans last June 15 without any court order.

    He prayed the court to award N200million as general and exemplary damages against the Police for the alleged violation of Evans’ rights under sections 36, 43, and 44 of the 1999 Constitution.

    But, the Police urged the court to dismiss the suit as the trucks were proceeds of crime and were exhibits.

    In a counter-affidavit, the deponent Inspector Haruna Idowu said he was on the team that investigated Evans’ case.

    He said the suspect acquired 11 trucks with proceeds of crime, adding that 10 of them were recovered by the police.

    He said the trucks were listed as exhibits in the criminal charges filed against Evans at the Lagos State High Court.

    “The applicant is the notorious and most dreaded armed robber and kidnapper known as Evans, who defiled police arrest for over 10 years and who had terrorised many states of Nigeria with his various gang members.

    “The applicant has no other source of livelihood except armed robbery and kidnapping as so many arms and ammunition was recovered from the applicant during his arrest.

    “The applicant had purchased various properties with proceeds of armed robbery and kidnapping.

    “The applicant purchased 11 trucks with proceeds of crime. The police recovered 10 in Lagos while they were not able to tow the remaining one from Anambra State to Lagos due to the fact that the applicant’s brother-in-law, Mr. Okwuchukwu Obiechina, and his wife had tampered with the brain box of the truck in a bid to pervert the course of justice.

    “The trucks recovered are proceeds of crime which are preserved and kept as exhibits to be tendered in the ongoing criminal prosecution of the application at the High Court of Lagos State,” Idowu said.

    Justice Shagari held that the law empowers the Police to seize assets in the course of their investigation in such cases.

    According to her, by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, the Police have the right to seize and confiscate any items or properties as exhibits in a criminal case.

    The judge said the court could not stop the Police or other security agencies from carrying out their constitutional duties.