Evans’ Lawyer Plotting To Frustrate Trial, Lagos DPP Tells Court
The Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution ( DPP ) Mrs. Titilayo Shitta-Bey on Thursday told a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja that counsel to suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, is trying to frustrate speedy trial of the accused.
Shitta-Bey made the claim while responding to a fresh application filed by Evans counsel, Olukoya Ogungbeje, urging the court to quash the charge against his client.
She maintained that, “The fresh application filed by the 1st defendant’s counsel contains the same elements as a former one which the judge had initially dismissed.
This fresh application is just a ploy to derail and frustrate the trial, ” Shitta-Bey said.
But Ogungbeje in response to the allegation expressed displeasure over allegations raised by the prosecution accusing him of trying to stall the trial.
He said, “no my Lord, the prosecution are the ones delaying their case. The prosecution knows what we want. They have filed multiple charges and even one of the charges they filed does not even have proof of evidence,” Ogungbeje argued.
The lawyer insisted that the basis of his applications before the court was on the procedure applied by the prosecution in filing the charges against his client.
After listening to the counsel, the Trial judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo adjourned the matter till March 21 in order to enable the prosecution file a fresh charge and subsequently move forward.
The Lagos State government is prosecuting Evans, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, Uche Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Aduba before the court on seven counts of conspiracy, attempted kidnapping, kidnapping, murder and attempted murder.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Earlier during proceedings, counsel to the second defendant, O. Ogwu brought an application before the court asking the court to dismiss the charges against his client, arguing that he had nothing to do with the charge preferred against him .
Ogwu maintained that the purported statement made by his client has nothing to do with the charge for which his client was arraigned, also adding that the same statement was used in another charge filed before Justice A. Akintoye of an Igbosere High Court.
Responding to Ogwu, Ms Shitta-Bey read to the court the confessional statement of the defendant which reads in part, “I followed Evans to an operation in Festac but we did not succeed as we missed the target. I decided to go into kidnapping business when I was no longer making money in my business.”
Shitta-Bey then proceeded to explain to the court that there is no law that prevents the prosecution from using the same confessional statement in two different charges.
“We have proven a prima facia case against the second defendant and we urge the court to dismiss the application,” Shitta-Bey said.