Absence of defence counsel has stalled the trial of alleged kidnap kingpin, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, known as Evans and five co-defendants before a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja.
Today’s proceedings was slated for the adoption of arguments in the defendant’s no-case submission.
But the trial was stalled due to the absence of legal representation for Uche Amadi and Ogechi Uchechukwu who were second and third defendants on the charge.
Registering his displeasure over the absence of Amadi and Uchechukwu’s counsel, the presiding judge, Justice Hakeem Oshodi, queried why they did not make an appearance in court in spite of being notified of the proceedings.
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Justice Oshodi therefore served a note of warning to the two defendant that failure to have a legal representation on next adjourned date, Office of Public Defender, OPD, will have to take up their case.
The judge subsequently advised Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP, to notify the OPD of the next adjourned date.
Earlier during proceedings, the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) had also requested that the court should make an Order that the OPD should represent Amadi and Uchechukwu on the next court date if their counsel were still absent.
The matter was later adjourned till July 3, 2020 for adoption of no-case submission.
Evans is standing trial alongside Uche Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba over alleged kidnap of Mr Donatius Dunu, the Chief Executive Officer of Maydon Pharmaceutical Ltd.
The six defendants were arraigned on August 30, 2017 on two counts of conspiracy and kidnapping.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants kidnapped Dunu along Ilupeju Road, Lagos on Feb. 14, 2017 and collected 223,000 Euros (N100m) as ransom from his family.
The pharmaceutical boss, was still held captive by the defendants because his family had not paid additional money to the ransom already collected, and he later escaped captivity and alerted the police.
