by Alexander O. Onukwue

When money talks, anything bold and serious works, regardless of whether a kidnapper is involved or not.

After the coverage eased off for some days, Evans has come back in the news. He has taken the fight to the Police by filing a suit on the basis of unlawful detention. “Filing a suit” means he actually has someone who is willing to defend him in a court of law.

It is absolutely his right to be defended. Every criminal is innocent until proven guilty. And in law, proof of guilt is not always crystal and obvious. The quality of legal armoury at one’s disposal certainly goes a mile to determine what the outcome of litigation becomes.

Evans was a billionaire, at least that’s what all the testimonies and revelations have revealed so far. There has been no information that his accounts are frozen. If they are, his wife and other relatives presumably have the funds it would require to drag the matter in courts. This first move does not have a lot in it, but it is conceivable that Evans will not be averse to testing the will of the Police through judicial interventions.

And who will be the lawyers on his defense team? Will Evans be able to afford the best defense in the country?
The answer is simple and chilling. The only real question is whether his team will have one or two of our favourite Senior Advocates arguing in his favour. It is the way the law works, especially in a democracy. Coming out victorious from such criminal cases where chances are next to nothing and against popular opinion is the challenge the best lawyers live for.

In Nigeria, nothing is next to nothing.