'We feed him well', Prisons deny 'kidnapper's claims that he's being maltreated

dimeji akinloye

May 8, 2018 9:32 AM

Evans had told the court that the Kirikiri prison warders do not feed him well and beat him regularly on top of that.

A prison warder has denied the claims by suspected kidnap kingpin

Evans had on Monday, May 7, cried out before the Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere that he is not well fed and that he gets beaten all the time as if there is a plan to kill him.

"I have an explanation to make. Since I have been in the maximum prison, they have been maltreating me: no visit, they don’t feed me well, I have eye problem and I cannot see far. “What have I done to you people? They have been beating me, there is no good food, I have been locked up in one place since August 30, last year. Why are they taking my case personal? “Let me face my trial alive; why do you people want to kill me?," Evans explained to the court why he initially refused to disembark from the 'Black Maria' (Prison vehicle) that brought him to the court.

Doctor's visit

A prison warder from Kirikiri Maximum Prison, however, countered the billionaire kidnapper's statement.

The unnamed warder said that in fact, a doctor is frequently allowed to examine him, adding that the medical personnel still checked him out on Monday morning before he was brought to court and that he was certified healthy.

The warder said, "We have been treating him very well; he is well fed, and people have been visiting him; a doctor has been checking him; the doctor checked him yesterday and even this morning before he was brought to court. The doctor says he is healthy and can be brought to court."

Buttressing the warder's point, the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Titilayo Shitta-Bey, said the suspect was just making up the maltreatment story.

"That was the same thing he said before an Ikeja High Court and we wrote the prisons and they wrote us back that he was being taken care of like every other inmate", the DPP said.

ALSO READ: How police officer who arrested kidnap guru was killed

The presiding judge, Adedayo Akintoye, however, asked the prisons to ensure that Evans is well taken care of like the other inmates, noting that the defendants are still presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The Lagos State Government has brought a fresh five-count charge bordering on conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping and attempted murder against Evans and three others.

Evans is charged alongside Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba.

dimeji akinloye