Evans: How the Police Tortured Me to Sign a Statement Implicating Me in a Kidnapping - Fired Soldier
A fired soldier, Victor Aduba, denied on Monday that he was complicit in the crimes of alleged kidnapping ringleader Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans.
Mr. Aduba, a co-defendant, went into denial during the resumption of the trial at a special misdemeanor court in Ikeja in Lagos when he was presented as a witness by his lawyer, Emeka Ochai.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Evans is on trial alongside ex-soldier Mr. Aduba for kidnapping businessman Sylvanus Ahamonu and collecting a ransom of $420,000 with his family.
They face four counts bordering on kidnapping and unlawful possession of firearms.
Mr. Aduba told the court that he holds a high school leaving certificate (SSCE) and lives in Ojoo military cantonment.
He said he was arrested for the alleged June 24, 2017 kidnapping and denied knowing Evans prior to his arrest.
"My lord, I have never been involved in a kidnapping.
"I saw the defendant (Evans) for the first time in a police station. I have never conspired with anyone to kidnap in my entire life," he said.
The fired soldier testified in court that he met a certain Chukwuma Nwosu in a park in Anambra on his way to Lagos after the military approved his leave to celebrate Christmas with his family in Onitsha.
"After Christmas, while waiting to board a car for Lagos, I was in military camouflage when a Mr. Chukwuma Nwosu met me and offered to drive me to Lagos because of military insignia.
"He told me that he was also going to Lagos. On our way, we passed through many checkpoints but we were not stopped because I was in full dress.
"We exchanged phone numbers and he said he would let me know whenever he wanted to travel so I could go with him. He also said he had a truck, which LASTMA l usually extorted whenever it messed up on the road and he needed my help.
"Since then he has traveled three times and every time we come to Lagos he gives me 20,000 naira and buys me drinks from the bar," Mr Aduba said.
The defendant further testified that he received a call from Mr. Nwosu on June 24, 2017, to meet him at a bar, which led to his arrest.
"When I got to the bar, Nwosu told me not to worry about anything. He said they forced him to call me. As I was about to ask him who had forced it, five men approached us and they told me that I was under arrest, I struggled with them but they overpowered me and took me to the station.
“I was in the cell for eight days. A man met me in the cell and told me to give him my personal information and I did. the cell and took me to the counter and I met five other men.
"They took out a paper and told me to sign. I asked if I could go through the papers before I could sign but they said no.
"One of the men, Mr. Idowu Haruna, suddenly gave me a dirty slap. Later, they took me to a place called the theater (torture room). While they were torturing me , Haruna hurt me with a cutlass in his hand.
"Their boss, Phillips, ordered them to stop and they took me back to the cell. A day later they chained me up and told us to get on a white bus.
>“After a while, they took me back to the cell. Three days later, one of the men who came to fetch me from the cell again told me to sign some papers. said they should allow me to speak with my family to inform them of my whereabouts, but he refused.
"The man said they would kill me if I refused to sign the papers, then he took out his phone to speak with a man who introduced himself as DCP Abba Kyari and he said if he refused to sign the papers, they would kill me,” Mr. Aduba said.
"Extrajudicial executions"The witness further testified that Mr. Kyari spoke with Mr. Haruna on the phone for a few minutes before hanging up, adding that he succumbed to signing the papers after Mr. Haruna showed him the picture of three dead men, including Nwosu's photo. .
"I saw the bodies of three men on his phone, including the picture of Nwosu. I was forced to sign the papers because I was scared."
During cross-examination by state prosecutor Yusuf Sule, the defendant told the court that he graduated from high school in 2008 and was drafted into the army on August 15, 2009 .
He said he spent eight years in the army before his arrest.
He added that he had never been to the front and was in the music department of the Nigerian army.
The witness confirmed in court that he was trained to handle any weapon, adds...
A fired soldier, Victor Aduba, denied on Monday that he was complicit in the crimes of alleged kidnapping ringleader Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans.
Mr. Aduba, a co-defendant, went into denial during the resumption of the trial at a special misdemeanor court in Ikeja in Lagos when he was presented as a witness by his lawyer, Emeka Ochai.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Evans is on trial alongside ex-soldier Mr. Aduba for kidnapping businessman Sylvanus Ahamonu and collecting a ransom of $420,000 with his family.
They face four counts bordering on kidnapping and unlawful possession of firearms.
Mr. Aduba told the court that he holds a high school leaving certificate (SSCE) and lives in Ojoo military cantonment.
He said he was arrested for the alleged June 24, 2017 kidnapping and denied knowing Evans prior to his arrest.
"My lord, I have never been involved in a kidnapping.
"I saw the defendant (Evans) for the first time in a police station. I have never conspired with anyone to kidnap in my entire life," he said.
The fired soldier testified in court that he met a certain Chukwuma Nwosu in a park in Anambra on his way to Lagos after the military approved his leave to celebrate Christmas with his family in Onitsha.
"After Christmas, while waiting to board a car for Lagos, I was in military camouflage when a Mr. Chukwuma Nwosu met me and offered to drive me to Lagos because of military insignia.
"He told me that he was also going to Lagos. On our way, we passed through many checkpoints but we were not stopped because I was in full dress.
"We exchanged phone numbers and he said he would let me know whenever he wanted to travel so I could go with him. He also said he had a truck, which LASTMA l usually extorted whenever it messed up on the road and he needed my help.
"Since then he has traveled three times and every time we come to Lagos he gives me 20,000 naira and buys me drinks from the bar," Mr Aduba said.
The defendant further testified that he received a call from Mr. Nwosu on June 24, 2017, to meet him at a bar, which led to his arrest.
"When I got to the bar, Nwosu told me not to worry about anything. He said they forced him to call me. As I was about to ask him who had forced it, five men approached us and they told me that I was under arrest, I struggled with them but they overpowered me and took me to the station.
“I was in the cell for eight days. A man met me in the cell and told me to give him my personal information and I did. the cell and took me to the counter and I met five other men.
"They took out a paper and told me to sign. I asked if I could go through the papers before I could sign but they said no.
"One of the men, Mr. Idowu Haruna, suddenly gave me a dirty slap. Later, they took me to a place called the theater (torture room). While they were torturing me , Haruna hurt me with a cutlass in his hand.
"Their boss, Phillips, ordered them to stop and they took me back to the cell. A day later they chained me up and told us to get on a white bus.
>“After a while, they took me back to the cell. Three days later, one of the men who came to fetch me from the cell again told me to sign some papers. said they should allow me to speak with my family to inform them of my whereabouts, but he refused.
"The man said they would kill me if I refused to sign the papers, then he took out his phone to speak with a man who introduced himself as DCP Abba Kyari and he said if he refused to sign the papers, they would kill me,” Mr. Aduba said.
"Extrajudicial executions"The witness further testified that Mr. Kyari spoke with Mr. Haruna on the phone for a few minutes before hanging up, adding that he succumbed to signing the papers after Mr. Haruna showed him the picture of three dead men, including Nwosu's photo. .
"I saw the bodies of three men on his phone, including the picture of Nwosu. I was forced to sign the papers because I was scared."
During cross-examination by state prosecutor Yusuf Sule, the defendant told the court that he graduated from high school in 2008 and was drafted into the army on August 15, 2009 .
He said he spent eight years in the army before his arrest.
He added that he had never been to the front and was in the music department of the Nigerian army.
The witness confirmed in court that he was trained to handle any weapon, adds...
What's Your Reaction?
