News
Billionaire kidnapper, Evans Re-Arraigned, Begs For Plea Bargain, clemency
Billionnaire kidnapper Chukwudumeme Onwamadike a.k.a Evans, on Thursday urged the Lagos High Court Ikeja, to consider his application for plea bargain, forgiveness and clemency.
He spoke through his new lawyer, Chief Emefo Otudo, immediately after he was re-arraigned over a five-count charge of alleged murder and kidnapping, by the Lagos State Government.
In the charge filed before Justice Adenike Coker, Evans and one Joseph Nkenna Emeka pleaded not guilty to alleged kidnapping and murder.
According to Evans lawyer, Chief Etudo, the substance of Evans’ application for plea bargain, is with respect to three pending criminal cases on compassionate grounds.
He has earlier been convicted in two other cases with 14 years imprisonment and life jail respectively.
His lawyer told Justice Coker that have been converted to a reasonable human being and being a criminal to a teacher charged entirely Evans name should be graciously dropped from the three pending charges.
He submitted: “That a fresh charge be discretionally filed against the first defendant upon which he will plead guilty and serve 14 years imprisonment If approved.
“That the 14 years imprisonment that may be imposed in the new charge be made to run concurrently with other sentences that might have been given in his other cases listed above.
“Our authority for bringing this application is attached as Appendix 6 and this application supersedes and overrides any previous application made by or on behalf of Mr Onwuamadike for plea bargain.
Speaking further Cheif Otudo told the court that there are five criminal cases against Evans and Lagos state has been prosecuting him for those cases and have gained conviction in two.
He said during the cause of the prosecution Evans has been incarcerated for about eight years.
“While in prison, the Federal Government offered the first defendant and other inmates a second chance and offered them opportunity to to go to school.
“The first defendant (Evans) accepted offer to be educated as they were given scholarship by Federal Government. He has now earned an NCE teaching certificate in Economics.
“He is now a teacher and no longer a criminal. Copy of his NCE certificate and the project he did are attached as appendix 1 & 2.
“Mr Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike was also given admission in the National Open University of Nigeria under the scholarship granted by the Federal Government.
“He is now in 200 level in National Open University of Nigeria offering political Science. Copy of his admission letter is attached as appendix 3. And copy of his ID Card in National Open University of Nigeria is attached as appendix
4.
“Mr Onwuamadike has also learnt technology under the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity; to wit, welding and metal fabrication and passed all tests. Copy of the test by Ministry of Labour and Productivity is attached as appendix 5.
Justice Coker told both the Prosecuting lawyer, Mr A. Y. Sule and Chief Otudo representing both parties to wait till March 20, when decision of the committee set up by the Lagos State government on Evans’ application would have been released.
According to him, such financial mishandling not only disrupts critical public services and projects but also results in major losses to the nation’s purse—resources that could have been channelled into crucial services and developmental efforts, as laid out in Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution.
Speaker Abbas, thereafter setup a Special Committee to be chaired by Rep. Chinedu Martins to immediately launch a probe into the “Utilisation of take-off grants, bailout funds, and interventions allocated to MDAs, government institutions, and GOEs from 2015 to present.”
The FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, expressed satisfaction with the progress on the Abuja light rail project, reaffirming its May 29 delivery as sacrosanct.
He made these assurances after inspecting the ongoing construction of access roads to the train stations on Wednesday, from Metro Train Station in the Central Area to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Reassuring journalists accompanying him, the minister reiterated that President Bola Tinubu would commission the rail project on May 29 to mark his second year in office.
The visited stations were Wupa station near Idu and Bassanjiwa station near the airport.
“This is part of our routine inspection of ongoing projects to see the contractors’ progress,” Wike explained.
“We are working day and night to fulfill our promise to President Tinubu and FCT residents. By May, Mr. President will ride on the Metro line.”
Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen are currently invading some communities in the Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to sources, the herdsmen armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the community around 04:15pm on Thursday.
“Our lives are in danger this evening, armed Fulani herdsmen, about 600 in numbers have taken over our communities this evening,” a resident told SaharaReporters.
“They’re currently moving around towns in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue state. No security personnel at all, Governor Alia didn’t send security, they said operation will start soon once they (herders) have observed the place.”
The insecurity situation in Benue has been alarming in recent weeks with attacks from gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.
The media had reported that suspected herdsmen again unleashed terror in Benue State, attacking three communities in Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) on Wednesday, just a day after 11 people were killed in a deadly raid on Otobi community.
The latest victims of the escalating violence were Emichi, Odudaje, and Okpamaju, communities that had previously suffered an attack in February, which left five people dead.
However, the renewed attack has created fear and mass displacement among residents, with women and children fleeing to safety.
Local sources say the death toll from the fresh attack remains unclear, but several casualties are feared.
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