The hearing on the application for a plea bargain agreement being sought by convicted kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike (alias Evans), has been adjourned to March 20.
The case is before justice Adenike Coker of the Lagos state high court sitting in Ikeja.
This is the third kidnapping related case being brought against Evans by the state government. In February 2022, an Ikeja High Court Judge, Hakeem Oshodi, sentenced him to life imprisonment for the kidnap of Donatus Dunu, the Chief Executive Officer of Maydon Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
In September 2022, another judge of the high court, Oluwatoyin Taiwo (now retired), sentenced Evans to 21 years imprisonment for kidnapping a businessman, Sylvanus Ahamonu, and collecting $420,000 as ransom from his family.
He is being prosecuted in three other charges.
In this present case, He and his co-defendant, Joseph Emeka, are charged with the alleged offences of murder, attempt to murder and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
His lawyer, Emefo Etudo, has now prepared an application for plea bargain to the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Lawal Pedro (SAN) which is to be considered in court this Thursday.
From the substance of the request sighted by TVC News, the defence seeks a plea bargain agreement to be entered with Mr Onwuamadike on compassionate grounds; that the name of the first defendant be graciously dropped from the three charges;
He also requests that a fresh charge be discretionally filed against the first defendant upon which he will plead guilty and serve a 14-year imprisonment if approved.
Evans also seeks that the 14-year imprisonment that may be imposed in the new charge be made to run concurrently with other sentences that might have been given in his other cases.
It is gathered that Evans who has been incarcerated for the past eight years, has benefited from a Federal Government scholarship given to inmates and has now earned an NCE teaching certificate in Economics.
Evans is said to be currently running a degree program at the National Open University of Nigeria under the scholarship granted by the Federal Government and is now in 200 level studying political Science.
Mr Onwuamadike according to his counsel has also learnt welding and metal fabrication under the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity.
He says that the state government should grant his request since the federal government has forgiven him by granting him scholarship and that he may not be able to practice the new skills acquired in prison unless he comes out of prison.
