Suspected billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike (a.k.a Evans), on Monday broke down in tears at an Igbosere High Court in Lagos, claiming maltreatment at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison, Apapa, Lagos.
Evans told the judge, Adedayo Akintoye, that he was not well fed by the prison officials who, he claimed, were “taking his case personal”.
According to him, he was kept in solitary confinement and was denied access to his visitors.
His complaints followed the continuation of proceedings in a series of kidnap, murder and attempted murder charges brought against him by the Lagos State Government since his arrest on June 10, 2017, in his Lagos property.
NAN reports that the Lagos State Government had brought a fresh charge bordering on conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping and attempted murder against Evans and three others.
Evans was charged alongside Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba.
In the second charge, he is being tried alongside Joseph Emeka, Linus Okpara and Victor Aduba.
When the case was mentioned, the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Titilayo Shitta-Bey, told the court that Evans refused to disembark from black Maria.
The judge, consequently, ordered prison warders to bring him into the court.
He was then brought into the court barefooted with his back filled with sand and his green Tee-shirt torn on the right shoulder.
When docked, he raised his hands to be given audience.
“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.
“What have I done to you people? They have been beating me, there is no good food, I have been locked up in one place since August 30, last year. Why are they taking my case personal? Let me face my trial alive; why do you people want to kill me?’’ Mr Evans cried.
However, a prison warder from Kirikiri Maximum Prison, told the court that Evans was well cared for.
The warder also said a doctor had been seeing Evans after he complained about his health.
The warder 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 checked him yesterday and even this morning before he was brought to court. The doctor says he is healthy and can be brought to court.”
Mr Okpara’s counsel, Ogedi Ogu, also told the court that his client complained of maltreatment.
In her response, the DPP said that Evans made it up.
“This was exactly what Evans said before an Ikeja High Court. We, therefore, wrote to the prison and it replied, assuring us that Evans was being taken care of like every other inmate,” the DPP said.
Mr Akintoye, however, asked the authorities of the prison to ensure that the accused were well taken care of, noting that they were still presumed innocent until proven guilty.
After all the drama, Mr Evans was arraigned alongside Joseph Emeka, Linus Okpara and Victor Aduba on a two-count charge of conspiracy and unlawful capture.
The charge was preferred against them by Lagos State.
According to the charge, the accused and others still at large conspired and unlawfully captured one Uche Okorafor on November 21, 2014 at Festac Town, Lagos, demanding a ransom of two million dollars.
The offences contravened Sections 269 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, according to the prosecution.
The case has been adjourned until May 25 for trial.