‎Evans Will change His Plea To Not guilty–Lawyer

Suspected billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike’s
lawyer, Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje, has said the police coerced his
client to plead guilty to the kidnapping charges before a Lagos
State High Court in Ikeja on Wednesday.

Describing the plea as police-motivated, Ogungbeje said the
police threatened to kill Onwuamadike, who is widely known as
Evans, if he failed to plead guilty.

Ogungbeje, in a statement on the letter head of his law firm,
Lawflex Chambers, which was e-mailed to our correspondent after the
Wednesday’s proceedings, said his client would change his plea to
“not guilty” at the next court sitting.

He said Onwuamadike’s guilty plea was not out of free will,
adding that the defendant was hoodwinked and coerced to plead
guilty having been in detention for a long period.

The lawyer stated that since June 10, 2017, when the suspect was
remanded, the police had not allowed family members and lawyers to
have access to him in custody.

The lawyer stated that the guilty plea of the defendants on
Wednesday was of no effect as the suspect was not given the
opportunity to be guided lawyers before the charges were read to
Onwuamadike and other suspects.

He added that his client was only served with the charges in the
open court on Wednesday and the judge also turned down the plea for
an adjournment to afford his client time and facilities as
guaranteed by the Constitution to confer with the defendant.

Ogungbeje said, “The information/charge sheet was served on us
in open court hence, the need to confer with our client to enable
us avail ourselves with the constitutional right of adequate time
and facility to put up our defence.

“The court after turning down our plea for adjournment
immediately ordered that the counts charges be read to him and
others despite our plea for adjournment to enable us confer with
our client in accordance with the law.

“After the purported guilty plea of our client and the court
rose, we stressed to have brief discussion time with our client and
he told us clearly that the police told him to plead guilty failure
to which they would kill him.

“This is definitely unconstitutional and we intend to challenge
this unconstitutional procedure for hoodwinking, undue influence,
brainwashing and coercion on an accused into entering a guilty plea
against his wish and free will.

“He pointedly told us that being informed us that being informed
now, he will change his police-motivated guilty plea to not guilty
at the next adjourned date.

“It is settled Law that plea of guilty must be made voluntary
and direct devoid of any influence, coercion and manipulation.

“In the meantime, after our brief conferring with our client in
open court, he made it known to us that he will change his police
motivated guilty plea to ‘not guilty’ at the next adjourned
date.”

He insisted that he, as defence lawyer, had “a responsibility to
assist the cause of justice in accordance with the law”.

“This press statement is necessary for the Public to be well
informed and proper education of the Evans’ case,” the lawyer
stated.

Suggesting that his client was vulnerable to police manipulation
as a result of his long detention and was not accorded this right
to being legally guided, Ogungbeje stated, “It must be noted that
Our Client had been in Police Custody since 10th of June 2017 till
date and we his lawyer and family members have been denied access
to him.

Suspected billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike’s
lawyer, Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje, has said the police coerced his
client to plead guilty to the kidnapping charges before a Lagos
State High Court in Ikeja on Wednesday.

Describing the plea as police-motivated, Ogungbeje said the
police threatened to kill Onwuamadike, who is widely known as
Evans, if he failed to plead guilty.

Ogungbeje, in a statement on the letter head of his law firm,
Lawflex Chambers, which was e-mailed to our correspondent after the
Wednesday’s proceedings, said his client would change his plea to
“not guilty” at the next court sitting.

He said Onwuamadike’s guilty plea was not out of free will,
adding that the defendant was hoodwinked and coerced to plead
guilty having been in detention for a long period.

The lawyer stated that since June 10, 2017, when the suspect was
remanded, the police had not allowed family members and lawyers to
have access to him in custody.

The lawyer stated that the guilty plea of the defendants on
Wednesday was of no effect as the suspect was not given the
opportunity to be guided lawyers before the charges were read to
Onwuamadike and other suspects.

He added that his client was only served with the charges in the
open court on Wednesday and the judge also turned down the plea for
an adjournment to afford his client time and facilities as
guaranteed by the Constitution to confer with the defendant.

Ogungbeje said, “The information/charge sheet was served on us
in open court hence, the need to confer with our client to enable
us avail ourselves with the constitutional right of adequate time
and facility to put up our defence.

“The court after turning down our plea for adjournment
immediately ordered that the counts charges be read to him and
others despite our plea for adjournment to enable us confer with
our client in accordance with the law.

“After the purported guilty plea of our client and the court
rose, we stressed to have brief discussion time with our client and
he told us clearly that the police told him to plead guilty failure
to which they would kill him.

“This is definitely unconstitutional and we intend to challenge
this unconstitutional procedure for hoodwinking, undue influence,
brainwashing and coercion on an accused into entering a guilty plea
against his wish and free will.

“He pointedly told us that being informed us that being informed
now, he will change his police-motivated guilty plea to not guilty
at the next adjourned date.

“It is settled Law that plea of guilty must be made voluntary
and direct devoid of any influence, coercion and manipulation.

“In the meantime, after our brief conferring with our client in
open court, he made it known to us that he will change his police
motivated guilty plea to ‘not guilty’ at the next adjourned
date.”

He insisted that he, as defence lawyer, had “a responsibility to
assist the cause of justice in accordance with the law”.

“This press statement is necessary for the Public to be well
informed and proper education of the Evans’ case,” the lawyer
stated.

Suggesting that his client was vulnerable to police manipulation
as a result of his long detention and was not accorded this right
to being legally guided, Ogungbeje stated, “It must be noted that
Our Client had been in Police Custody since 10th of June 2017 till
date and we his lawyer and family members have been denied access
to him.