LAGOS — Kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike a.k.a.
Evans, has dragged the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and three
others before the Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged illegal detention.
EVANSEVANS Joined as respondents in the suit are the Nigeria Police Force,
Commissioner of Police, Lagos State and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS,
Lagos State Police Command. In the rights enforcement suit filed on his behalf
by a Lagos-based lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje, Evans is praying for the order of
court to direct the respondents to immediately charge him to court if there is
any case against him in accordance with Sections 35 (1) (c) (3) (4) (5) (a) (b)
and 36 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In the
alternative, he is praying the court to compel the respondents to immediately
release him unconditionally in the absence of any offence that will warrant his
being charged to court. Evans is further contending in the suit that his
continued detention by the respondents since June 10, 2017, without being
charged to court or released on bail is an infringement on his fundamental
human rights. He argued that the respondents ought to have charged him to court
in accordance with the provisions of Sections 35 and 36 of the Constitution. It
was further argued that the alleged offence committed by the applicant (Evans)
are correspondingly intertwined with the constitutional safeguards as provided
under Sections 35 and 36 of the Constitution. Evans’ dad deposes to affidavit
in son’s support To support Evans’ case, his father, Stephen Onwuamadike
personally deposed to a 27-paragraph affidavit in support of the suit. In his
affidavit, Evans’ father averred that his son (applicant) has been subjected to
media trial without any court order by the respondents. He further averred that
the media trial and news orchestrated by the respondents have continued to
generate reactions in both print and electronic media without his son being
afforded fair hearing and trial before a court of law. He added that since his
son’s arrest, all his family members have been denied access to him while media
practitioners have been granted unfettered access to him. The matter has not
been assigned to any judge and no date has been fixed for the hearing. We have
court order to hold him for 3 months — Police Meanwhile, reacting to the suit,
spokesman for the Police High Command, Jimoh Moshood said that the Police had
obtained a court order from a Federal High Court, Abuja, to detain Evans for
three months, in order to allow them carry out proper investigation on the
suspect. The investigation, according to the police will take operatives to
Ghana, South Africa and many parts of the country before he could be arraigned.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Administration, in the Lagos Command, Dasuki
Galandanci had told journalists last Friday that the Police is in the midst of
a thorough investigation on Evans. He said: “Evans has been a kidnapper for a
long time and has been on the wanted list of the Police in Anambra, Abuja,
Enugu, Edo and Lagos States. He also has a criminal gang, some of whom have
been arrested in Enugu and Lagos. “But there are still more out there.
Therefore, this needs a painstaking investigation. Besides, we need to
understudy him as well as debrief him properly. By so doing, we intend to use
his tactics to get others. He will eventually be charged to court after
investigation is concluded.” ‘He is innocent before the law until proved
guilty’ Also, reacting to Evans suit, a lawyer and Don, Gbenga Ojo, said, “It
may surprise Nigerians that he had to approach the court, however, in the eyes
of the law, he is presumed innocent until pronounced guilty by a competent
court. However, as it is, I don’t think any court will grant him bail
considering the allegations levelled against him. “It is the same law that
gives him fundamental human rights to seek redress in court that provides that
no one can kill other persons unlawfully or kidnap and subject victims to
unbearable conditions. So, the court will look at all these before considering
to do anything. In my opinion, no court will allow such application to fly.
“However, if the prosecution is not ready to arraign him now due to their
investigation, they should take him to the magistrate court to get a remand
order, pending the conclusion of their investigation.”
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