The trial of an alleged kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, and five of his alleged accomplices will resume before the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on October 16, when the defendants are scheduled to open their defence.

Justice Hakeem Oshodi had on August 14, 2020, dismissed the no-case submissions filed by Evans’ five co-defendants, who had prayed for the charges against them to be quashed.

The defendants – Evans, Uche Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba – are facing trial over the kidnap of the Chief Executive Officer of Maydon Pharmaceutical Limited, Donatus Dunu, in 2017.

The prosecution said they collected €223,000 in ransom before freeing the businessman after 88 days in captivity.

Dismissing the no-case submissions filed by Evans’ co-defendant, Justice Oshodi had maintained that contrary to the defendants’ claim, “there is a prima facie case (against them) as the first defendant (Evans) implicated the co-defendants in Exhibit 10.”

Evans, who has been having difficulty retaining a lawyer due to his inability to pay legal fees, did not file a no-case submission.

Since the case started in August 2017, he has changed lawyers six times over inability to pay legal fees.

Meanwhile, Evans alongside other sets of co-defendants will be appearing on October 12 before Justice Adedayo Akintoye at the Lagos State High Court in Igbosere, Lagos Island, where they are facing two separate charges of conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping and attempted murder.

In the first charge, Evans is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba.

In the second charge, Joseph Emeka, Linus Okpara and Victor Aduba are his co-defendants.

By Oladimeji Ramon