by Alexander O. Onukwue

It’s only a suit asking for him to either be tried now or untied, but could Evans really be up to something here?

He may have nothing sinister in mind. After all he has confessed, it could be that Evans wants to suffer everything at once rather than have to spend so much time in detention before beginning a long trial that could end up with a severe sentence. If that’s the plan, then most persons will not be bothered.

There are thousands of persons in Nigerian prisons who are awaiting trial years after they were first detained. Evans supposedly does not want to be like them and he is employing the resources at his disposal to make that happen.

However, this could be the first of more to come. In that case, there should be something to fear.

The problems of the Nigerian judiciary are well documented. There are very many loopholes to exploit, leading often to the frustration of striking cases out on technicalities. The more obvious bad sides are the issues of the absence of incorruptibility. With enough financial persuasion, cases get turned in favour of persons who ordinarily should be guilty.
Will that happen in Evans’ case?

One could say the reason why the Police has taken its time to shown Evans to everyone to see is to make his crime as public as possible in order to rouse the consciousness of the public (and the judge who will try him) to the insidiousness of his acts. By so doing, it becomes presumably easier to make a case against him.

But that could backfire; the #FreeEvans folks are an example of how a media trial can work contrary to its purpose. With the right price for the right lawyer, it remains possible for Evans to trick his way out of what should seem a certain condemnation.

This paragraph from Sahara Reporters’ story on his suit explains Evans ultimate goal: “…he prayed the court for an order compelling the respondents to immediately release him unconditionally in the absence of any offence that will warrant his being charged to court”

Let that sink in.

Editor