Olukoya Ogungbeje, the lawyer to alleged billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike aka Evans has released a statement claiming that his client is not guilty.
This is despite Evans having pleaded guilty to three counts of kidnapping in a Lagos court on Wednesday.
But Ogungbeje says the guilty verdict offered by his client in court was under duress.
According to Ogungbeje, Evans was denied access to his lawyers and had no opportunity of being properly advised on what plea to make.
The statement reads:
“It must be noted that our client had been in police custody since 10th of June 2017 till date and his lawyer and family members have been denied access to him.
“His arraignment was brought to our attention through the social media platform. We rushed to court in a bid to confer with our client before the commencement of proceedings but the Police denied us access to him.
“We sought for adjournment to enable us confer with our client in line with the provisions of Section 36(6) (2) of the Constitution but same was turned down by the court.
“Moreso, the information/charge sheet was served on us in open court on the same day of arraignment.”
Ogungbeje affirmed that his client informed him of his intention to change his plea at a future court hearing.
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