Billionaire kidnapper, Evans who was arraigned before a Lagos High court sitting at Igbosere, asked God for forgiveness during interrogation according to Police Inspector, Idowu Haruna.
The police inspector who gave evidence as a prosecution witness in the trial of Evans and three others, said Evans regretted the atrocities he committed and kept asking God for forgiveness of his sins. The police inspector said;
“On the day I recorded Evans’ statement, I cautioned him and asked if he had a lawyer who could guide him before writing his statement but he said no and that he was ready to narrate the whole story to the police.
“Evans said he didn’t have any lawyer and didn’t know anyone because of the kind of job he did. And the only thing he kept saying was for God to forgive him his sins because he has kidnapped and killed”.
Evans who denied allegations of admitting to murder and kidnapping by the police inspector, disowned his statement saying he made it under duress following his torture by his interrogators.
Vanguard reported that Haruna, who is a member of the Inspector General of Police Intelligent Response Team, is the seventh prosecution witness, in the second charge, involving Joseph Emeka, Linus Okpara and Victor Aduba.
According to Haruna, Evans who told the police that he usually used the fourth defendant, Victor Aduba a serving Army Officer as an escort during operation in order to have free passage on their way to their hideout, also disclosed that he is the only one who negotiated for ransom and also arranged how to pick the ransom. Evans did not involve the other members of the gang in the negotiation, and only gave them small portion of the ransom.
Haruna who was being led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecution Titilayo Shitta-Bey, told the court that when Evans was arrested, he gave the police information that led to the arrest of the other defendants.
The gang reportedly started operation since 1997, and were involved in kidnapping, and armed robbery in different parts of the country, as they had no other job. The Inspector, who said that the defendants’ statements were taken at Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS Ikeja Lagos, added that none of them was tortured, nor were they put under duress, when they volunteered their statements.
However other defendants, Ogedi Ogu, Joseph Emeka, Emmanuel Ochai, informed the court through their counsel that their statements were not voluntary as they were beaten and tortured before the statements were taken.
