Recall that Onwuamadike is standing trial alongside Uche Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba over the alleged kidnap of Donatus Dunu, chief executive officer of Maydon Pharmaceutical Ltd and collection of £223,000 (N100 million) as ransom from his family.

All the defendants who were first arraigned on August 30, 2017, on two counts of conspiracy and kidnapping, have maintained their innocence.

At the resumed hearing of the case today December 10, counsel to Evans, Victor Opara, submitted that there is no direct evidence linking his client to the crime. He told the court that Dunu, the alleged kidnap victim, said to be blindfolded throughout his 88-day ordeal, did not state to the court in his testimony that he could physically identify Evans.

Opara said “There is also the fatality of the prosecution’s case that there was no identification parade to identify the first defendant (Evans). There was no evidence before your lordship to show that PW2 (Dunu) had a clear opportunity of identifying the first defendant.”

He thereafter prayed the court to acquit his client. However, Adebayo Haroun, lead prosecution counsel, in his final written address dated November 30, had asked the court to convict the defendants as charged.

He said “When a man has confessed to the crime, you do not need an identification parade. There is direct evidence of PW2 (Dunu) testifying of how he was kidnapped, how he escaped and the roles the defendants each played. We have circumstantial evidence linking the first defendant (Evans) to the crime, and we also have confessional statements and video recordings of him. We urge your lordship to convict the defendants as charged.”

After listening to submissions from both counsels, the presiding judge fixed February 25, 2022, for judgment.

A source who pleaded anonymity said Arinze died on Friday, November 26, 2021. The source said the counsel to the late defendant had filed a bail application before the court last week, over the illness of the defendant.

The source also said that the continuation of trial in the case is coming up today (Monday), and it was slated for the bail application to be heard before they heard of the death of the defendant.

It was gathered that Arinze, who had been sick, was rushed from the prison to a General Hospital on Friday, where he later died.

Evans is standing trial alongside, Joseph Emeka, Chiemeka Arinze, and Udeme Upong, over the attempted kidnap of Chief Vincent Obianodo, the Chairman of the Young Shall Grow Motors, before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of an Ikeja Special Offences Court. They are facing a seven-count charge of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, attempt to kinda, sale and transfer of firearms.

The officers have been identified as Sergeant Usman Danzumi, Inspector Mark Ediale and Sergeant Dahiru Musa.

The officers had arrested a notorious kidnapper, Alhaji Hamisu Bala, and were taking him to the station when the soldiers engaged them in a crossfire.

The Nigerian Police described the slain officers as Gallant men who were part of the team that arrested a number of notorious criminals, one of which is the notorious kidnapper Evans who was arrested in Lagos in June 2017.