Ikeja has set February 25, 2022 as the date for the ruling in the case of Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, also known as Evans, a suspected abduction kingpin. Evans is accused of kidnapping Donatus Dunu, the chief executive officer of Maydon Pharmaceuticals Ltd,
together with Uche Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, and Victor Aduba. On August 30, 2017, the six defendants were charged with two charges of conspiracy and kidnapping. The prosecution claims that on February 14, 2017, they kidnapped Dunu in Lagos and demanded a ransom of £223,000 (N100 million) from his family. Throughout the criminal trial, all of the defendants maintained their innocence.
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While delivering his final address in court on Friday, Evans’ attorney, Victor Opara, stated that there is no clear proof linking his client to the crime. Dunu, the alleged kidnap victim, who was believed to have been blindfolded throughout his 88-day experience, did not testify in court that he could physically identify Evans, he informed the court.
“Another fundamental flaw in the prosecution’s case is that no identification parade was held to identify the first defendant (Evans),” he added. “No evidence was presented before your Lordship to establish that PW2 (Dunu) had a clear chance of identifying the first defendant.” Opara argued that his client should be acquitted by the court. However, in his final written address dated November 30, lead prosecution lawyer Adebayo Haroun asked the court to convict the accused as charged. “You don’t need an identification parade when a man has confessed to the crime,” he said.
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“There is direct evidence of PW2 (Dunu) testifying about how he was kidnapped, how he fled, and the roles performed by the defendants.” We have circumstantial evidence that connects the first defendant (Evans) to the crime, as well as confessions and video recordings of him. “We respectfully request that your lordship convict the defendants as charged.” The presiding judge, Hakeem Oshodi, set February 25 as the date for decision after hearing from the attorneys.
