Alleged kidnap kingpin Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike popularly known
as Evans, and one Victor Nonso, Friday pleaded not guilty and challenged the
Attorney General ( AG ) Lagos State to prove the case against them.
This followed the ruling delivered by the
trial Judge, Justice Taiwo dismissing the motion to quash the charges and
ordering accused persons to take their plea.
The duo are standing trial over aĺeged
criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, unlawfull possession of 4 riffles and
live ammunition and murder of a Young Shall Grow driver.
The offences were aĺlegedly committed within
the Lagos jurisdiction .
Evans through his lawyer Ogungbeje had sought
to quash the charges, saying that the charges are incompetent and defective.
According to him, similar charges had been
filed by the prosecution in the same high court against the defendants, before
Justice Oshodi sitting at the Lagos High Court, Ikeja. Ogungbejesaid that
the charges will make the wòrk of defence long and clumsy.
Lagos State had filed an opposition saying
that the cases are on different facts with different victims. Adding that the
defendants participated in various crimes, at different times, places and
victims within the same jurisdiction.
In its ruling, the Court held that "having
carefully considered all matters. The charge does not offend against Section
152 and 153 of ACJL, Lagos, adding that the count of possession of firearms are
not defective, once the charge satisfied the law.
"There is sufficient proof to proceed to
trial. There is something worth looking at. On fiat from AGF, fiat has
been filed with charge dated 30 Jan. 2017 donated to AG Lagos authoring him to
under take prosecution. The pplication is misconceived, lacks merrit and
dismissed", the Court held.
The case was adjourned till 15th December,
2017.
It will be recalled that Evans had earlier
pleaded guilty to similar charge before Justice Oshodi only to later change his
plea to not guilty.
- Daily Times
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