Justice Hakeem Oshodi of an Ikeja High Court on Friday told suspected kidnap kingpin Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans, that there was no proof that he was tortured by the police.
The judge said this while giving a ruling admitting the confessional statement by Evans on June 11, 2017, into evidence.
Justice Oshodi stated that the 1999 Constitution did not require that statements to the police must be made in any specific form.
According to him, there is no proof that the suspect was tortured to provide details of his alleged misdeeds, based on his videotaped confession played in court on October 26, 2018.
The trial judge noted that the court did not see any coercion directed at Evans in the video, stressing that he asked the investigating police officer to write his statement on his behalf.
He added that the suspect sat on a sofa and said he was a businessman “with a smile” when asked his profession.
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“When the witness for the prosecution was cross-examined, he categorically stated that the first defendant was not tortured when his statement was taken,” Justice Oshodi noted.
He also held that Evans did not provide any evidence to the court to back the allegations of extra-judicial killings he made against the police.
The trial judge said while the court was not unmindful that Evans claimed to have seen people being murdered by the police, he did not prove the allegation and there was no blood seen in the video.
“The statement is admitted and marked Exhibit B,” he stated.
Thereafter, the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution, Titilayo Shitta-Bey, asked the court to adjourn due to the absence of the fourth prosecution witness.
On his part, Evans counsel, Olanrewaju Ajanaku, did not object to the request for an adjournment.
Justice Oshodi later adjourned the case till February 22 for the continuation of the trial.
