Evans to be arraigned in court today

• Judgment on his fundamental rights application stalled
Cold-blooded kidnap suspect, Chukwudumeme Ohamadike, a.k.a. Evans, would be charged to court today after over three months in police detention.

Lagos State police command spokesman, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, yesterday told The Guardian that the most wanted kidnap suspect would be arraigned at the Ikeja High Court, Lagos today. He said: “Evans would be arraigned in court Wednesday morning at the Ikeja High Court.”

According to a police source at the high command in Abuja, investigations into crimes committed by Evans has been concluded before the expiration of the 90 days remand order granted by the Federal High Court.

“Today’s case is one of the 14 cases Evans and five of his gang members who participated in Mr. Donatus Dunu’s kidnapping will be arraigned. The remaining 13 cases relating to 13 more victims have not been arraigned yet. They will come up on subsequent dates by the respective courts in Lagos and Edo states,” he said.

Detectives attached to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT) had arrested the dreaded suspected kidnapper few months ago in his mansion at Magodo estate, Lagos. Magodo is one of the highbrow estates where prominent Nigerians and foreign businessmen reside.

It was gathered that the suspect was allegedly the brain behind most of the high-profile kidnap cases across the country and had been on the police wanted list for years.

A senior police source had described Evans as ‘the most brilliant and notorious high-profile kidnapper in the history of Nigeria.’ The source added that Evans and his gang have reportedly collected billions of naira as ransom over the last seven years from victims.

However, a Lagos Division of the Federal High Court yesterday fixed September 5 to hear arguments from counsel on why he should not deliver judgment on the fundamental rights application filed by Evans.

Justice Abdulaziz Anka, who had earlier fixed yesterday for judgment, said he would not go ahead when there are pending applications before him.

“The question is, can I still go ahead when there are still motions before me and the fact that the applicant refused service?” Anka asked.

The judge had adjourned on August 16 to deliver a judgment on the fundamental rights application filed by Onwuamadike. The first and second respondents, the Inspector General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force, did not send a legal representative throughout the hearing, but the Commissioner of Police in Lagos and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, the third and fourth respondents, were represented by lawyers, who argued that their colleagues were not served the court process.