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By Nkasi Kolie
Defence team of an alleged kidnap kingpin Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans and his five co-defendants on Tuesday closed their case before Justice Hakeem Oshodi of Lagos High Court sitting at Ikeja.
Evans’ five co-defendants are: Uche Amadi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Aduba. They were arraigned before Oshodi on August 31, 2017 on a two-count charge of conspiracy and kidnapping.
They are accused of kidnapping Mr. Donatus Dunu, Managing Director of Maydon Pharmaceuticals Limited. According to the prosecution, Dunu was kidnapped along Ilupeju Road, Lagos and the defendants allegedly collected 223,000 Euros as ransom from Mr Dunu’s family. All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During proceedings on Tuesday counsel to the sixth defendant (Aduba), Mr Emmanuel Ochai, announced to the court after Aduba’ s testimony that the defence had presented their case.
Justice Oshodi gave the defence 30 days to file their final written addresses and the prosecution was given another 30 days to respond to the final written addresses of the defence. The case was adjourned until November 5 for adoption of the final written addresses.
Led in evidence by his defense counsel, Mr Victor Okpara, Evans denied all allegations of kidnapping levelled against him by the Lagos State Government. He insisted that he was a legitimate businessman.
He said that his nickname was not Evans and that he was coerced into admitting being a kidnapper after the police, in a bid to make him confess, extra-judicially killed four individuals in his presence.
“I live at Fred Shoboyede Street, Magodo Phase II, Lagos. I am a businessman and I deal in ornaments and Horlicks. My lord, my name is not Evans and I don’t have a nickname,” he said.
He said that prior to being apprehended by the authorities, he had never met his five co-defendants.
He said that he met his co-defendants for the first time on the day they were paraded as members of a kidnap syndicate by the police, at Area F Police Command, Ikeja.
Also in his defense on Tuesday, Victor Aduba, a dismissed army officer, told court that he was forced by police officer, Idowu Haruna to sign a document written by the police or be killed like some other suspects.
Aduba said that for weeks, he was kept in a police cell because he refused to sign a document already prepared by the police whereby he admitted taking part in kidnapping.
“I was handcuffed both hands and legs. I begged them to contact my office at Abalti Army Barracks because I was on 24 hours duty on February 14, 2017 when they accused me of taking part in kidnapping, but they said that was not their business. They brought three other suspects I later knew as Felix Chinaemerem, Sanya Paul and Chukwuma Nwosu. One Christian Ugwu pleaded with me to sign the document so that I will not be “travelled” like these suspects. Idowu Haruna later showed me pictures of dead bodies of the suspects on his phone. That was when I signed the statement.”
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