Police Hid Me Inside Toilet When Falana Came To Check Me — Evans

Alleged billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias
Evans, has maintained his claim that he was tortured by the Police
to make what they term his confessional statement.

He countered the claim by the Police that his statement was
obtained under a fair atmosphere, and that the statement could have
been taken in the presence of a lawyer, if Evans had hired one.

At the Friday proceedings in his trial before Justice Adedayo
Akintoye at the Lagos State High Court in Igbosere, Evans said
human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), at the time, came to
the Police station to see him, but the Police thwarted the meeting
by locking him (Evans) up in a toilet.

Evans said immediately after he was arrested by the Police in
2017, his wife, Uchenna, contacted the human rights lawyer, but
upon the lawyer’s visit to the Police station, he was told that he
(Evans) had been taken out for investigation.

Evans claimed to have heard, from inside the toilet where he was
allegedly locked up, how Falana and the Lagos Coordinator of the
Inspector-General of Police Response Team, one CSP Phillip,
exchanged pleasantries upon the lawyer’s arrival at Phillip’s
office.

He said after being told that he had been taken out for
investigation, Falana warned the Police not to come back and claim
that the suspect had been shot while trying to escape.

Led in evidence by his lawyer, Mr. Olanrewaju Ajanaku, Evans,
who was all tears, insisted that he was forced to put his signature
to an already prepared confessional statement by men of the Special
Anti-Robbery Squad who had allegedly murdered several suspects in
his presence “in Saddam Hussein style.”

He said, “Immediately after my arrest, my wife called Mr. Femi
Falana and he came to SARS.

“But CSP Phillip told two armed policemen to hide me inside the
office toilet and to tell the lawyer that I was not around.

“I heard Phillip greet him, ‘Good afternoon, sir,’ and Mr.
Falana said he wanted to see me. CSP Phillip told Mr. Falana that I
had been taken out for investigation.

“Mr. Falana warned him that he did not want to hear that I had
been taken for investigation only to be shot dead.

“He said he didn’t want to hear that I was trying to escape and
then I was shot dead. He told them that if I had committed any
offence, I should be charged to court.”

Under cross-examination by the prosecuting counsel for the
state, Mr. Y.G. Oshoala, Evans maintained that his statement was
not voluntarily made.

Justice Akintoye adjourned further proceedings in the case till
December 10.

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