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Olukoya Ogungbeje, Counsel to billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, also known as Evans, has on Wednesday, raised an alarm that his client was coerced to plead guilty to the charges levelled against him.
His statement is coming a few hours after Evans who was arraigned before Justice Hakeem Oshodi of a Lagos State High Court, pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of kidnapping and conspiracy.
Ogungbej in the statement said that he was never granted the opportunity to have consultations with Evans, until Wednesday, when he was brought to court to face trial.
The Counsel to Evans said in the statement that: “After the purported guilty plea of our client and the court rose; we stressed to have brief discussion time with our client, and ‘he told us clearly that the Police told him to plead guilty, failure to which the Police will kill him.
“This is definitely unconstitutional, and we intend to challenge this unconstitutional procedure for hoodwink, undue influence, brainwashing, and coercing on an accused, into entering a guilty plea against his wish and free will.
“He pointedly told us that being informed now, he will change his ‘police motivated guilty plea’ to ‘not guilty’ at the next adjourned date.”
“It is settled law that plea of guilty must be made voluntary, and direct devoid of any influence, coercion and manipulation.
“In the meantime, after our brief conferring with our client in open court, he made it known to us that he will change his police motivated guilty plea to not guilty at the next adjourned date. We have a responsibility to assist the cause of justice in accordance with the law.”
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