Kidnap kingpin cries in court over beating, bad prison food

Alleged billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans, reportedly broke down in tears complaining about bad treatment in prison during his appearance in court on Monday, May 7, 2018, PulseNG reports.

The kidnap kingpin had earlier refused to leave the prison van after he was driven to the Igbosere High Court, Lagos, for his trial on Monday.

According to media reports, the presiding judge in his case, Justice Adedayo Akintoye, had to order that he be dragged into the courtbefore prison warders forced him into the courtroom. The warders also reported that he had refused to leave the prison until he was forced inside the van.

During his appearance, he complained that he has been subjected to maltreatment from the authorities who he suspects want to kill him.

He said, "What have I done to you people, they have been beating me? No good food. I have been locked up in one place since August 30. Why are they taking my case personal? Let me face my trial alive, why do you people want to kill me?"

When he was initially brought into the courtroom barefooted with a green T-shirt torn on the right shoulder, Evans had told the judge about how he had been denied access to visitors and doctors.

He said, "I have an explanation to make; since I have been in the maximum prison, they have been maltreating me: no visit, they don’t feed me well, I have eye problem and I cannot see far."

The prison warden present in the courtroom denied Evans' claims, arguing before the judge that he is looked after like every other inmate in the prison system.

He said, "We have been treating him very well, he is well fed, and people have been visiting him. A doctor has been checking him. The doctor came to check him yesterday (Sunday) and even this morning before coming to court.

"He was saying he can't be in court that he is not feeling fine, but when the doctor checked him yesterday and this morning, the doctor said he was healthy and that he sees no reason why he can’t be in court."

While responding to Evans' alleged maltreatment, the Lagos state Director for Public Prosecutions (DPP), Titilayo Shitta-Bey, said the defendant has a history of making up stories.

She said, "That was the same thing he said before an Ikeja High Court and we wrote the prisons and they wrote us back that he was being taken care of like every other inmate."

Evans arrest and prosecution

Evans was arrested by a combined team of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and the Anti-Kidnap Unit of the Lagos State Police Command at one of his Magodo Phase II GRA, Lagos, home on June 10, 2017.

His arrest was followed by revelations of how he successfully carried out kidnappings and made millions of dollars from his victims, eluding the police during his decade-long reign of terror.

He's already pleaded 'not guilty' to two-count charges of conspiracy and kidnapping before Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the Ikeja division of Lagos High Court.

He is being tried alongside five accomplices: Uche Amadi, Ogechi Izechuwku, Okechukwu Nwachukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Chukwumonso.

The defendants are accused of capturing, detaining and collecting a ransom of £223,000 on Mr. Duru Donatius between Feb. 14 and April 12, 2017.