Police Threatened To Kill Me If I Don’t Plead Guilty – Evans

**Says He'll Change Plea To Not Guilty

Suspected billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as ‘Evans’, will retract his guilty plea, his lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje, has revealed.

Mr. Ogungbeje, whose client appeared before a Lagos State High Court on Wednesday, said Evans pleaded guilty to kidnapping charges under duress.

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The lawyer, in a statement today, claimed that the suspected kidnapper made the guilty plea under coercion by the police.

Ogungbeje said, “The information/charge sheet was served on us in open court hence, the need to confer with our client to enable us avail ourselves with the constitutional right of adequate time and facility to put up our defence.

“The court after turning down our plea for adjournment immediately ordered that the counts charges be read to him and others despite our plea for adjournment to enable us confer with our client in accordance with the law.

“After the purported guilty plea of our client and the court rose, we stressed to have brief discussion time with our client and he told us clearly that the police told him to plead guilty failure to which they would kill him.

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“This is definitely unconstitutional and we intend to challenge this unconstitutional procedure for hoodwinking, undue influence, brainwashing and coercion on an accused into entering a guilty plea against his wish and free will.

“He pointedly told us that he will change his police-motivated guilty plea to not guilty at the next adjourned date.

“It is settled Law that plea of guilty must be made voluntary and direct devoid of any influence, coercion and manipulation.

“In the meantime, after our brief conferring with our client in open court, he made it known to us that he will change his police motivated guilty plea to ‘not guilty’ at the next adjourned date.”

“This press statement is necessary for the Public to be well informed and proper education of the Evans’ case,” the lawyer stated.

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