Alleged Billionaire Kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike AKA Evans, has again asked a Lagos High Court sitting in the Igbosere area of Lagos Island to quash all the charges filed against him by the State Government.
Evans said that similar charges were already pending before another Lagos court, and as such all the charges should be tried by one judge. The Lagos State Government had brought five fresh charges bordering on conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping and attempted murder against Evans and three others. The three others are Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba.
At the resumed hearing of the case on Friday, Counsel to the Evans, Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje informed the court that he had filed a motion on notice to quash all the charge filed against his client. In the motion on notice, Ogungbeje said that all the charges were“grossly defective, repetitive and an abuse of court processes. He stated that the prosecution had earlier filed similar charges and amended charges bordering on kidnapping against the same first defendant pending before the same High Court of Lagos State.
In her response to the motion, the State Director for Public Prosecutions (DPP), Ms Titilayo Shitta-Bey, said: “the general rule is that every offence must be in a separate count”. Shitta-Bey said that the first defendant was charged with attempt to murder Chief James Uduji, in count three, while in count four, he was charged with attempt to murder Mr Donald Nwonye.“It will be against the provisions of the law to lump the two offences in one count. She said that other charges filed against the first defendant before other judges involved different defendants, different offences and different victims. She, therefore, urged the court to dismiss the application.
