Judge furious as Evans, Prosecution stall proceeding

IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – Hearing procedures was again stalled in the ongoing trial of Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike aka Evans and four others at the Special Offences Court, Ikeja, Lagos.

Evans is facing trial alongside four others, Uche Amadi, Okechukwu Nwachukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, Victor Chukwunonso Aduba and Ogechi Uchechukwu on a four-count charge of kidnapping and unlawful possession of firearms.

The prosecution also accused Evans and others of kidnapping Mr. Sylvanus Ahamonu and holding him hostage for at least nine weeks and collecting a ransom to the tune of USD 420,000 from his family.

When the case came up today, all the defendants, were in court but the Prosecution and Investigating Police Officer(IPO) who were all absent. Besides, the first defendant, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike aka Evans was not represented, forcing Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo to adjourned to April 3rd for continuation of trial.

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Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo also told Evans to procure a lawyer before the next hearing, failing which the court will be forced to provide him one.

Replying to absence of the Prosecution and IPO in court, counsel to the second defendant, N.C. Oyejiaka attributed long adjournment of the case to continued absence of Prosecution and IPO.

“My Lord, we have been foisted with long adjournment as a result of absence of IPO and Prosecution. They are acting in concert. Ordinarily I will have raised an application but due to their absence, I asked that the records of the court be strengthened”, he said. She also put Legal Aid Council on notice to be prepared to take up the case.

Responding, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo said: “Make sure you have a lawyer on the 3rd of April. If you do not have a lawyer, we will get one for you. You cannot continue to delay this case”, she said.

During the last court proceedings on March 14, 2019 the videos evidence of Evans confessing to committing crimes of kidnapping and armed robbery within and outside Lagos were shown in court.

The footage in two compact discs was aired during the testimony of Inspector Idowu Haruna, a member of the Police Intelligence Response Team.

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The videos which were projected on the wall of the courtroom showed Evans wearing a red T-shirt, seated on a leather sofa in a room and confessing his crimes to Haruna.

He could be seen smiling and telling the policeman about his daytime and nighttime armed robberies of banks as well as his kidnap escapades where ransom ranging from 250,000 dollars to one million dollars were received from his victims.

Starconnectmedia recalled that the Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Mooyosore Onigbajo, SAN and Solicitor General of Lagos, Mrs. Titilayo Shitabey appeared before Justice Oshodi in August 2019 and took over Prosecution.