Kidnapping: I’m ready to surrender all my property — Evans pleads for mercy

By Henry Ojelu & Elizabeth Ngozi

LAGOS—Convicted billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans, has told the Lagos State High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square, that he was prepared to surrender all his property as part of a plea bargain agreement should the court consider his application on compassionate grounds

In his application for a plea bargain, Evan told the court that he is now a teacher at the correctional centre in Kirikiri after obtaining a teaching diploma in economics from Yewa College of Education and is no longer a criminal.

He pledged to forfeit his 14 brand-new trucks to the Lagos State Government for sale, with the proceeds to be transferred to the victims of his criminal activities as part of the proposed plea bargain arrangement.

Represented by his lawyer, Mr. Etudo Emefo, Evans, in his application before Justice Sherifat Sonaike, expressed remorse for his actions, stating that he had undergone a transformation during his time in Kirikiri Maximum Prison.

He claimed that the Federal Government of Nigeria awarded him a scholarship while in prison.

He pleaded with the Lagos State Government for mercy, explaining that without their forgiveness, the Federal Government’s scholarship would be rendered useless. Furthermore, he argued that he would be unable to practice the new skills he acquired while incarcerated, which would amount to a waste of government resources.

According to the documents filed before the court, during his time in prison, the Federal Government offered Evans and other inmates the opportunity to further their education.

Evans took advantage of this offer and was granted a scholarship. As a result, he earned a National Certificate in Education in Economics and is now a teacher, no longer identifying as a criminal. Copies of his NCE certificate and project work were submitted as appendices.

Additionally, Evans was offered admission to the National Open University of Nigeria under the Federal Government’s scholarship scheme.

He is currently in his second year, studying Political Science. His admission letter and student ID card were presented to the court as part of the application.

Evans said he also underwent training in welding and metal fabrication through the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, successfully passing all relevant tests. A copy of the test results was included as an appendix.

When the case, which was scheduled for trial, came up yesterday, the prosecuting counsel, Alaba Kuku, told Justice Sherifat Sonaike that the defendants had expressed interest in pursuing plea bargain agreements with the state government.

He confirmed that Evans’ counsel, Etudo, had given him an advance copy of the application, which is currently before the state government for consideration.