JUSTICE KAYODE OGUNJOBI OF AN IGBOSERE HIGH COURT SITTING AT THE TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE (TBS) HAS THREATENED TO IMPOSE FURTHER COSTS ON CONVICTED KIDNAP KINGPIN, CHUKWUDUMEME ONWUAMADIKE, A.K.A. EVANS, FOR DELAYING A £223,000 POUNDS SUIT.
ONE OF EVANS’ KIDNAP VICTIMS, DONATUS DURU, FILED THE SUIT IN 2018 DEMANDING A RETURN OF THE £223,000 POUNDS HE PAID TO EVANS AS RANSOM TO FREE HIMSELF FROM THE KINGPIN’S CUSTODY.
DURU IS ALSO DEMANDING THE SUM OF N50MILLION AS DAMAGES AT 20 PER CENT INTEREST.
JUSTICE OGUNJOBI, BEFORE WHOM THE MATTER IS, HAS ALREADY IMPOSED COSTS OF N2.5MILLION ON EVANS.
AT RESUMPTION OF PROCEEDINGS ON WEDNESDAY, THE JUSTICE OGUNJOBI THREATENED TO IMPOSE ANOTHER COST ON THE CONVICT FOR HIS DELAY TACTICS OVER HIS CHOICE OF LAWYER AND CRITCISED EVANS’ CONDUCT WHICH HE SAYS IS HURTING EVERYBODY” AND COSTING THE LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT MONEY”.
WHEN THE CASE WAS CALLED, A LAWYER, MAXWELL CHUKWUEMEKA, ANNOUNCED HE WAS SEEKING TO REPRESENT THE DEFENDANT (EVANS) IN THE CASE.
EVANS HAD ON MARCH THE 3RD, 2022, APPLIED TO THE COURT TO BE ALLOWED TO DEFEND HIMSELF.
BUT CHUKWUEMEKA TOLD THE COURT HE HAD FILED TWO APPLICATIONS – A MOTION FOR CHANGE OF COUNSEL AND A MOTION FOR AMENDMENT OF THE DEFENDANT’S STATEMENT OF DEFENCE.
DURU’S COUNSEL, D. O. OBIORA, SAID THE DEFENDANT HAD BEEN CHANGING COUNSEL BUT DID NOT OPPOSE THE APPLICATIONS SAYING THE COURT DELIVERED A RULING ON MAY THE 23RD, GRANTING LEAVE FOR THE DEFENDANT TO FILE ITS STATEMENT OF DEFENCE AND WONDERED HOW EVANS WAS SEEKING LEAVE TO AMEND A DEFENCE HE HAD YET TO FILE.
JUSTICE OGUNJOBI WHO GRANTED BOTH APPLICATIONS SAYS THE MATTER HAS SUFFERED SEVERAL ADJOURNMENTS.
THE JUSTICE HAS THEREFORE ADJOURNED THE CASE TILL JULY 13 FOR THE DEFENCE TO OPEN ITS CASE.