The Lagos High Court in Ikeja has sentenced popular billionaire kidnap kingpin Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike who is best known as Evans and two others, Uchenna Amadi and Okuchuwkwu Nwachukwu, to life imprisonment.
They were sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiracy and kidnapping of a businessman, Donatus Duru.
Two former soldiers involved in the case, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Aduba, were acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence against them.
The presiding judge, Justice Hakeem Oshodi said the prosecution succeeded in proving the charges against the three convicts beyond reasonable doubt.
He revealed that video evidence of when Evans was interrogated didn’t show him under duress.
Oshodi said “He was seen freely laughing and willingly answered questions. A close look at his body showed no sign of torture. He did not look unkempt. He was seen laughing even when he was told that he must be a rich kidnapper”
“He showed no remorse in the dock and tried to lie his way out of the crimes despite the video evidence”.
It would be recalled that the Lagos State government had arraigned Evans alongside Uche Amadi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, and Victor Aduba for allegedly kidnapping the Managing Director of Maydon Pharmaceuticals Limited, Donatus Dunu, on February 14, 2017.
In its case, the state had claimed that the convicts committed the alleged offence between February 14 and April 12, 2017.
The prosecution had further told the court that the incident took place at about 7:45 pm, along Obokun Street, in the Ilupeju area of Lagos.
Also, the prosecution told the court that on April 12, Evans alongside the other five defendants while armed with guns and other weapons captured, detained and collected a ransom of 223,000 euros from Donatus for his release.
Subsequently, the Lagos State government arraigned the defendants before the court in August 2017.
Official reports have it that in all, the prosecution presented four witnesses, including the victim, Dunu while the defence presented six witnesses including Evans who testified in his own defence.
