Court Fixes Date To Determine Fate Of Evans, Others

Uche Amadi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, and Victor Aduba, Evans’ co-defendants, are on trial for kidnapping and other offenses.

The date for the verdict in the case of alleged millionaire kidnapper Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike alias Evans and others has been set.

The judgment will be delivered on February 25, 2022, by the High Court in Ikeja, Lagos State.

Uche Amadi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, and Victor Aduba, Evans’ co-defendants, are charged with conspiracy and kidnapping.

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

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

Following the prosecution and defense attorneys’ oral presentations of final written addresses, Justice Oshodi set the judgment date for Friday.

During his oral argument, Evans’ lawyer, Mr. Victor Opara (SAN), sought the court to discharge and acquit Evans of the two-count allegation before it.

Evans was not directly linked to the alleged offenses, according to Opara’s final written address dated Nov. 1.

Dunu, the alleged kidnap victim, who was reported to have been blindfolded throughout his 88-day experience, did not mention to the court in his testimony that he could physically identify Evans, he informed the court.

“Another fundamental flaw in the prosecution’s case is that there was no identification parade to identify the first defendant,” Opara stated (Evans).

“No evidence was presented before your Lordship to establish that PW2 (Dunu) had a clear chance of identifying the first defendant.”

Mr. Adebayo Haroun, the lead prosecution lawyer, had asked the court to convict the defendants as charged in a final written address dated Nov. 30.

“You don’t need an identification parade when a man has confessed to the crime,” Haroun remarked.

“There is direct evidence of PW2 (Dunu) testifying about how he was kidnapped, escaped, and the roles each defendant played.”

“We have circumstantial evidence that links the first defendant (Evans) to the crime, as well as confessional admissions and video recordings of him,” the prosecutor said.
“We respectfully request that your lordship convict the defendants as charged.”