Olukoya Ogungbeje, lead counsel
to Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, suspected kidnap kingpin better known as Evans,
has withdrawn from his client’s trial.
In a statement he personally
signed, Ogungbeje said he was withdrawing due to “personal reasons”.
Evans is being tried by the Lagos
state government for alleged offences ranging from conspiracy to kidnapping and
attempted murder.
Ogungbeje said his life had been
under threat since he took up the case.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we
wish to state categorically that we have fought a good fight this far despite
repeated and sustained threats to my life and my defence lawyers,” he said in
the statement issued Wednesday.
“I dare say we have no regrets
whatsoever, having conducted the criminal charges involving our client this
far.
“For the sake of history, we have
been able to enrich the basic principles of our criminal jurisprudence,
especially the principle premised on ‘an accused person being presumed innocent
until the contrary is proved’ no matter the public opinion and criticism.”
He added that the defence team
has also been able to “keep the prosecution on their toes in the art of
forensic, proper and thorough investigation and prosecution of accused
persons.”
On what looks like a reaction to
criticisms trailing his representation of Evans in court, Ogungbeje said a
barrister is “bound to accept a brief for any man who comes before the courts.”
“No matter how great a rascal the
man may be, no matter how given to complaining, no matter how undeserving or
unpopular his cause, the barrister must defend him to the end,” he added.
“He must accept the brief and do
all he honourably can on behalf of his client.”
The lawyer came into limelight
when he filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit at the federal high court
in Lagos on his client’s behalf, asking the court to compel the police to
release him.
He had subsequently filed another
suit against the inspector general of police and three other parties, claiming
N300 million as general and exemplary damages against the police for “illegal
detention and unconstitutional media trial”.
But Evans dissociated himself
from the suits.
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