Evans
The trial of alleged kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike
popularly known as Evans, took a new twist today Tuesday September 12th
after the suspect denied ever making any statement to the police,
confessing to be a serial kidnapper.
At the resumed hearing of his trial at the Ikeja High Court, Evans
through his counsel, Chino Obiagu, made the denial following an attempt
by the State Prosecuting Counsel, Adebayo Haroun, to tender documents
containing the statement of the 1st defendant (Evans) as exhibits before
Justice Hakeem Oshodi.
Evans, through Obiagu, said the purported statement was not written
by him neither was it voluntarily made as claimed by the police. The
five suspected members of his gang namely: Uchenna Amadi, Okwuchukwu
Nwachukwu, Ogechi Uchechukwu (the only female among the gang) and two
Ex-Army officers, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Chukwunonso Aduba, who are
also standing trial with him, denied ever making any statement to the
police.
Their counsel, argued that the statement sort to be tendered by the
prosecutor was written by a policeman, Inspector Idowu Haruna attached
to Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team.
Obiagu also objected to the tendering of a video clip, during trial
within trial, showing Evans confessing to the crime at the police
station on the grounds that it does not corroborate with Section 84 of
the Evidence Act.
“I object to the admissibility of this document because the 1st
defendant didn’t make them voluntarily and I am also yet to be served
with a copy of the video or the Certified true copy.” Obiagu told Justice Oshodi.
The police officer, Inspector Haruna, who the suspects accused of
writing the false statements, told the court that he wrote the statement
on behalf of Evans, after he was arrested on June 2017, because he
claimed he didn’t complete Secondary school and therefore could not
write well in English language.
Haruna, while being led in evidence, said that Evans and his gang
members all volunteered their statements under caution after being
charged with the offence of Criminal conspiracy and kidnapping.
“I got to know the defendants when they were arrested for the
kidnap of one Mr Donatus Dunu- the Managing Director of Maydon
pharmaceutical company, who escaped from their custody at Igando area,
Lagos. When the matter was referred to my department at the IGP Response
Team, we immediately visited the scene where the abductors had held him
and discovered it was a well fenced and furnished bungalow with two
flats; just like any normal building.
Having noticed that their victim had escaped, they gang
abandoned the house before we got there. We conducted a search and
discovered several Ak47 rifles (military version) and pistols which they
left behind. it was through our investigation and items recovered from
the building that we arrested Uchenna Amadi, who had ran to seek refuge
at Port-Harcourt. Amadi, during interrogation, confessed that Evans was
the mastermind and leader of their gang. This information led to the
arrest of Evans at Igando area when he was about to run out of the
country to Ghana. During Evans testimony, he mentioned other members of
his gang like Ifeanyi and Aduba, who are former Army officers; Nwachukwu
aka “Congo”-who is the agent and informant that sold information of
victims to kidnap; Uchenna Amadi and his wife Ogechi. My team also made a
video recording of Evans confession and narration of all his kidnapping
activities before and after he came to Lagos in 2013.
After volunteering their statements, it was read to them and
they signed. I, however, signed as the recorder. Some of the suspects
recorded their statements by themselves but I personally recorded the
statement of Evans and Victor Aduba. Their statement was further read to
them again by a superior police officer, CSP Philip (former DSP) and
they all agreed to have volunteered without duress. Evans, however, told
us that he never imagined he could ever be caught because he has no
other means of livelihood apart from crime-kidnapping and armed
robbery,” the witness said.
Justice Oshodi thereafter adjourned the matter till October 26 for
ruling on admissibility of documents and continuation of trial within
trial.