Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
The trial of suspected billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike popularly known as Evans continued on Thursday at the Lagos High Court Sitting in the Igbosere area with the prosecution seeking to add, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana as a witness in the case.
The prosecuting counsel, Mr Yakubu Oshoala, who filed an application to that effect, told the court that an issue came up during trial within trial which required the prosecution to call an additional witness.
Evans had told the court that his confessional statement which he made to the police after his arrest in 2017 was made under duress. The court, therefore, conducted a ‘trial within trial’ to ascertain whether the defendant’s statement was actually made under duress.
In the first charge, Evans is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba.Evans is currently facing two separate charges, bordering on conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping and attempted murder, before Justice Adedayo Akintoye.
In the second charge, he is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Linus Okpara and Victor Aduba.
At the proceedings on Thursday, the prosecutor told the court that during the ‘trial within trial’, Evans mentioned that Falana came to visit him while in police custody but was prevented from seeing him owing to the excessive torture which he was going through.
The prosecutor, therefore, said he would want to call the SAN as a witness in the interest of justice.
But the counsel to Evans, Mr R. B. Ekeh, told the court that he was yet to respond to the application. Lawyers to the other defendants’ also said that they had not received the application.
Justice Adedayo Akintoye ordered that all the defendants be served with the application.
After this argument, the third defendant told the court that he had a bail application for his client.
The counsel informed the court that he had served the medical director of Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison, the order made by the court on May 23, in which the director was ordered to issue a medical report on the state of health of the third defendant (Linus Opara).
The counsel had claimed that Opara had a failed operation in prison which might require treatment at a hospital outside.
Justice Akintoye then adjourned the case until September 18 for ruling on the application to call Falana as a witness and for hearing of the bail application of the third defendant.
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