Evans asked God for forgiveness during interrogation – Witness tells court

A Police Inspector, Idowu Haruna, yesterday told a Lagos High
court sitting at Igbosere, how suspected kidnap kingpin Chukwuemeka
Onwuamadike, also known as Evans, regretted the atrocities he
committed and kept asking God for forgiveness of his sins.

Haruna, who was giving evidence as a prosecution witness in the
trial of Evans and three others

in two separate charges bordering on conspiracy to kidnap,
kidnapping and attempted murder told Justice Adedayo Akintoye that
Evans admitted kidnapping and killing people in his statement.

Evans has however disowned his statement saying he made it under
duress following his torture by his interrogators. The court
therefore ordered a trial within trial before proceeding with the
substantive charge.

At the hearing yesterday, the counsel to the first and third
defendants Mr Noel Brown told the court that he could not go on
with the trial, as the lead counsel Mr Chino Ogbiagwu SAN, was with
the case file and asked for adjournment.

Justice Adedayo Akintoye however insisted that the trial must go
on, as the counsel had been part of the defense team since the
commencement of the trial.

At the trial within trial yesterday, the police inspector said
“on the day I recorded Evans’ statement, I cautioned him and asked
if he had a lawyer who could guide him before writing his statement
but he said no and that he was ready to narrate the whole story to
the police.

“Evans said he didn’t have any lawyer and didn’t know anyone
because of the kind of job he did. And the only thing he kept
saying was for God to forgive him his sins because he has kidnapped
and killed”.

According to the witness, Evans in his statement to the police
said that he had four AK47 rifles, two pistols and chains which he
used on his victims as well as a Lexus Jeep he used in kidnapping
his victims to their hideout at 21, Prophet Asaje Close Igando
Lagos.

Haruna, who is a member of the Inspector General of Police
Intelligent Response Team, is the seventh prosecution witness, in
the second charge, involving Joseph Emeka, Linus Okpara and Victor
Aduba.

He said that Evans narrated to the police that he was the only
one who negotiated for ransom and also arranged how to pick the
ransom. Evans did not involve the other members of the gang in the
negotiation and only gave them small portion of the ransom.

Evans also told the police that he usually used the fourth
defendant, Victor Aduba a serving Army Officer as an escort during
operation in order to have free passage on their way to their
hideout.

According to Haruna, Evans further said hat he was the leader of
the gang and that the gang started operation since 1997. They were
involved in kidnapping, and armed robbery in different parts of the
country, as they had no other job.

Haruna who was being led in evidence by the Director of Public
Prosecution Titilayo Shitta-Bey, told the court that when Evans was
arrested, he gave the police information that led to the arrest of
the other defendants.

He also said that the first defendant informed the police that
the job of the third defendant Linus Okpara, was to look for
victims and would then give him information before the victims were
kidnapped.

The witness said that Evans was never tortured, as it was
against the ethics of the Nigeria Police Force.

The defendants had through their counsel Mr Noel Brown, Ogedi
Ogu and Emmanuel Ochai, informed the court that their statements
were not voluntary as they were beaten and tortured before the
statements were taken.

The second defendant Joseph Emeka, in the open court told his
counsel Ogu, that he was beaten to stupor, before his statement was
taken.

The Inspector, who said that the defendants’ statements were
taken at Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS Ikeja Lagos, added that
none of them was tortured, nor were they put under duress, when
they volunteered their statements.