An Ikeja Special Offences Court adjourned until Friday to hear the evidence of Chief Vincent Obianodo, who the convicted kidnap kingpin, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, allegedly attempted to kidnap.

The State Prosecution Counsel, Mr Yusuf Sule, informed the court that the witness who was supposed to testify could not come online.

He prayed the court to allow him testify via zoom at the next adjourned date.

Sule further argued that the testimony of the prosecution witness, the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), who was already in the box could be expunged in order to bring in another witness.

The court had on March 11 ordered Evans to engage a lawyer before the next date of adjournment or be ready to defend himself.

Frank Udeme, one of the co-defendants of Evans had been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on March 11.

Udeme had pleaded guilty to selling firearms to Evans.

According to the prosecution, Evans and Emeka committed the offence on Aug. 27, 2013, at Third Avenue in Festac Town, Lagos.

Evans and his accomplice are alleged to have killed one Ngozi Chijioke and attempted to kidnap and kill Obianodo.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to a seven-count charge of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, attempt to kidnap and sale and transfer of firearms over the attempted kidnap of Obianodo.

Meanwhile, in a related case, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo ordered the second defendant to open his defence after the court rejected the submission of the new counsel to Evans, Mr Amobi Nzelu to postpone the trial.

Evans was standing trial along Victor Aduba, an ex-soldier for allegedly kidnapping a businessman, Mr Sylvanus Ahamonu, and collecting a 420,000 dollars ransom from his family.

Nzelu had argued that he was new in the case and said he had appealed to the prosecution to give him a week after June 21.

“I am new in this matter my Lord. I have spoken with the prosecutor and appealed to him to give me a week after June 21 to prepare myself,” he said.

Sule, however, urged the court to allow the case go on Friday, adding that Evans sister had agreed to testify as the second defence witness.

“My lord, the first defendant has changed more than five counsels in this case. His sister has said she will come to court to testify. She can give her own testimony on Friday.

“The second defendant is ready to open his defense but the first defendant is the one delaying the case,” he said.

Taiwo also adjourned the case until June 17 for the second defendant to open his defence.

NAN reports that Evans had on Feb. 4 opened his defence and denied kidnapping Ahamonu and
collecting 420,000 dollars ransom from his family.

NAN also reports that the judge expressed dissatisfaction at the absence of the defendants on March 28 which stalled their the trial.

Evans is facing four kidnapping charges at various high courts of Lagos State.

Justice Hakeem Oshodi on Feb. 25, sentenced him and two other to life imprisonment for kidnapping
Mr Donatius Dunu, the Chief Executive Officer of Maydon Pharmaceuticals Ltd

The Lagos State Government (LASG)on Friday re-arraigned alleged kidnap kingpin, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, and two others over the attempted kidnap of the Chairman of the Young Shall Grow Motors, Chief Vincent Obianodo.

Evans was re-arraigned alongside Joseph Emeka, and Udeme Upong following the Nov. 26 death of their co-defendant, Chiemeka Arinze, 45, while in the custody of the Correctional Services.

The death certificate issued by the Ajeromi General Hospital, Ajegunle, Lagos State, indicated that the deceased who was suffering from complicated Advanced HIV died as a result of cardiopulmonary arrest.

During Friday’s proceeding; the state prosecutor, Mr Yusuf Sule, informed the court that Evans and his co-defendants would be re-arraigned on amended charges which would no longer reflect the name of the late Arinze.

The defendants plead not guilty to a seven-count charge of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, attempt to kidnap and sale and transfer of firearms over the attempted kidnap of Obianodo.

The prosecutor said that Evans, Emeka and Ubong committed the offences on Aug. 27, 2013, at Third Avenue in Festac Town, Lagos State.

Also, Evans and his accomplices allegedly killed one Ngozi Chijioke and attempted to kidnap and kill Obianodo.

The prosecution similarly alleged that in 2008, Ubong sold and transferred two AK47 rifles and 70 rounds of live ammunition to Evans.

Following their arraignment, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo in a ruling said that the court dismissed the submissions of the defence in the trial-within-trial that the confessional statements given to the police were done under duress.

According to the judge, there was no proof that the defendants were tortured by the police into giving their statements.

Taiwo adjourned the case until Feb. 4, 2022 for the continuation of trial

Mr Victor Opara, counsel to alleged kidnap kingpin Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike aka Evans has said that there is no direct evidence linking the accused with the crime.

Opara, on Friday, said this before an Ikeja High Court, which has reserved judgment for Feb. 25, 2022.

Evans’ lawyer said this while making his oral submission, asked the court to discharge and acquit Evans of the two-count charge before it.

In a final written address dated Nov. 1, Opara had said there was no direct evidence linking Evans to the alleged crimes.

He told the court that Dunu, the alleged kidnap victim, said to be blindfolded throughout his 88-day ordeal, did not state to the court in his testimony, that he could physically identify Evans.

“There is also the fatality of the prosecution’s case that there was no identification parade to identify the first defendant (Evans).

“There was no evidence before your lordship to show that PW2 (Dunu) had a clear opportunity of identifying the first defendant ” the SAN said.

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

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

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that contrary to false viral online reports, this is the first judgment to be fixed in any of the five kidnapping cases currently involving Evans in the high courts of Lagos State.

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.

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

On Evans, he said: “When a man has confessed to the crime, you do not need an identification parade.

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

“We have circumstantial evidence linking the first defendant (Evans) to the crime, and we also have confessional statements and video recordings of him.

“We urge your lordship to convict the defendants as charged,” Haroun prayed.

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

According the prosecution, Dunu was kidnapped on Ilupeju Road, Lagos State, and the defendants collected 223,000 Euros as ransom from his family.

Prosecution closed its case against the defendants on Jan. 10, 2020 after presenting four witnesses, including Dunu.

Defence closed its case on Aug. 3, 2020 after the six defendants testified.

During their respective testimonies, all the defendants said that they were innocent.