Evans: Court fixes February 25 as judgment day

An Ikeja High Court has reserved judgment for February 25, 2022, in the case of alleged kidnap kingpin, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike (alias Evans) and five others charged with conspiracy and kidnapping.

Evans’s co-defendants are Uche Amadi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Aduba.

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The defendants are accused of kidnapping Mr Donatus Dunu, the Managing Director of Maydon Pharmaceuticals Ltd. on February 14, 2017.

Evans is facing trial alongside diverse co-defendants before Justices Hakeem Oshodi of an Ikeja High Court, Oluwatoyin Taiwo of an Ikeja Special Offences Court and Adedayo Akintoye of an Igbosere High Court.

On Friday, Oshodi gave the judgment date after oral submissions of final written addresses by prosecution and defence counsel.

Evans’s counsel, Mr Victor Opara (SAN), while making his oral submission, asked the court to discharge and acquit Evans of the two-count charge before it.

Lead prosecution counsel, Mr Adebayo Haroun, via a final written address dated Nov. 30, had asked the court to convict the defendants as charged.

The defendants were arraigned before Oshodi on Aug. 31, 2017, on a two-count charge of conspiracy and kidnapping.

The prosecution closed its case against the defendants on January 10, 2020, after presenting four witnesses, including Dunu while the defence closed its case on August 3, 2020, after the six defendants testified.