Check they slammed Evans lawyer because

Kidsnapper Evans’ Lawyer Slammed With N20,000
Fine For Not Showing Up In Court
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Lagos—A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos,
yesterday, awarded a cost of N20,000 against Mr
Olukoya Ogungbeje, counsel to suspected
kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, a. k. a
Evans.
Trail judge, Justice Abdulazeez Anka also warned
Ogungbeje to desist from practices unbecoming of
a legal practitioner.
The judge said this while adjourning the
fundamental rights suit on behalf of Evans by
Ogungbeje, over alleged illegal detention.
Respondents in the suit are the Nigeria Police
Force, Lagos State Police Command, the
Commissioner of Police Lagos State and the
Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
Evans had sought a court’s order directing the
respondents to immediately charge him to court in
accordance with constitutional provisions, if there
existed any case against him.
In the alternative, he had prayed the court for an
order, compelling the respondents to immediately
release him unconditionally in the absence of any
charge.
The case, which was scheduled for yesterday,
could not proceed as Ogungbeje was absent in
court.
When the case was called, a litigation officer from
Ogungbeje’s law firm, Mr Stephen Abunike, told
the court that his principal was indisposed and had
written a letter seeking an adjournment.
In response, counsel to the Police, Mr Emmanuel
Eze, told the court that he had only sighted the
letter in court, noting that the letter was signed by
one Saheed Sanni, a lawyer in Ogungbeje’s law
firm.
Eze urged the court to reject the excuse and
consider same as an affront to the court, adding
that it showed that the law firm was unserious, as
well award a punitive cost of N100,000 against the
applicant and his counsel.
In a short ruling, Justice Anka awarded a punitive
cost of N20,000 against Ogungbeje for what he
described as unprofessional conduct.
The judge noted that while Ogungbeje had written
a letter to the court, he did not send a copy of the
letter to the counsel for the police.

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