Evans, 5 Others Sent To Kirikiri Prison

Suspected billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, otherwise known as Evans, and five others have been remanded in prison.

Evans was arraigned alongside Uche Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Aduba on a two-count charge of conspiracy and kidnapping before a Lagos High Court on Wednesday.

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The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Evans, Amadi and Nwachukwu pleaded guilty to the charges while Uchechukwu, the only female defendant, Ifeanyi and Aduba pleaded innocence of the offences of the charges.

The prosecution, led by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem, claimed that Evans and his team committed the offence of conspiracy on February 14 in Ilupeju, Lagos, abducting one Duru Donatius, and collecting 223,000 euros as ransom.

After the charges were read to them, Kazeem requested for the remand of the defendants.

“Following this arraignment, we will like to apply for the defendants to be remanded in custody and obtain trial dates for the ones that have pleaded not guilty,” Kazeem said.

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Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje, counsel to Evans, Amadi, Uchechukwu, Ifeanyi and Aduba prayed the court to give him time to confer with his clients.

“With respect to the application from the learned Attorney-General, we shall not be opposing same.

“However, the defence team just had the opportunity of meeting our clients this morning in court for the first time, we were just served with documents in the open court this morning.

“All the defendants have since been in the custody of the Police and we have not had the opportunity of conferring with them regarding the offences which are capital in nature,” Ogungbeje said.

The vacation judge, Justice Hakeem Oshodi asked the Attorney-General for his choice of prison for the defendants to be remanded.

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After listening to both parties, Justice Oshodi said: “The first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth defendants shall be remanded in the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prisons.

“While the third defendant shall be remanded in the female wing of the Kirikiri Prison.

“This case is adjourned to Oct. 19 for trial.”

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