Evans Changes Plea To ‘Not Guilty’ As Lagos Amends Charges Against Kidnapper

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By Sunday Okobi
Suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans, on Thursday changed his guilty plea to two counts of conspiracy and kidnapping to “not guilty”.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit felony to wit kidnapping under Section 411 of the Lagos State Criminal Laws and also to kidnapping when he appeared before Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the Ikeja Division of the Lagos State High Court.
Evans had two months ago pleaded guilty to both offences, which were said to have been committed on February 14, 2017.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has amended the charges it filed against Evans and five others charged alongside him.
The state’s Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Titilayo Shitta-Bey told Justice Hakeem Oshodi that the amendment relates only to the punishment section for the second charge.
She also submitted that there is no material change in the nature of the offence which still remains conspiracy and the kidnap of one Dunu Donatus.
The DPP urged the court to allow the defendants take fresh pleas to the amended two count charges.
However, counsel to Evans, Olukoya Ogungbeje opposed the move for fresh pleas.
He told the judge that he had only just been served in court this morning with the amended charge and he needed time to confer with his client.
Ogungbeje then asked the court to grant him a short adjournment so he could get a proper brief from his clients on how to proceed.
Justice Oshodi declined to grant an adjournment but rather opted to stand down the case for 45mins to enable the lawyers to confer with their clients.

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