· Keeps victims in captivity for six, seven months
*Demands
dollars from victims, collects ransom in stalments
 |
| Policemen personnel celebrating Evans arrest |
Operatives of the Inspector General
of Police’s (IGP), Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and Technical
Intelligence Unit (TIU) have arrested one of the deadliest, craftiest and
richest kidnappers in Nigeria.
The kidnapper has been identified as
Chukwudidumeme Onuamadike 36, aka Evans. Evans was arrested after police hunted
him for seven.
He was arrested on Saturday around
1pm at his Magodo Estate mansion, Lagos State.
He was one of the kidnappers that
had been terrorising Festac axis and its environs for years, forcing
billionaire and million businessmen to relocate.
 |
| Evans |
He is also only the kidnapper that
used to demand that ransom be paid in dollars currency.
According to police, Evans allegedly
acquired his billions and property scattered across Nigeria through kidnapping.
Before his arrest, N30million bounty
had been placed on him by the Inspector General of Police. The arrest of Evans
elicited celebrations among policemen at Force Headquarters Abuja and Lagos
State Command.
The suspect is a native of Nnewi in
Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State. He is the leader of a
notorious advanced high profile person kidnapping gang operating in Festac,
Amuwo Odofin and Ojo areas of Lagos.
A police source said: “Evans used to
keep his victims in captivity between six to seven months until their families
pay the demanded ransom. His demands are between N300million to N400million. He
is the only crazy kidnapper that collects payments in instalments and only
releases his victims after full payment. Several wealthy Nigerians, living in
Festac and Amuwo Odofin Areas of Lagos, fearful of being abducted, have
relocated to Ikoyi, Lekki and Victoria Island and left their mansions. They ran
away after Evans started targeting rich families in Festac.
“He operates like an octopus. His
kidnap network is spread across Port Harcourt, Bayelsa and Warri Delta states.
He is the brain behind the attempted abduction of the owner of Young Shall Grow
Motors, Chief Vincent Obianudo, in Festac Lagos, on August 2013.”
One of the policemen, who tracked
Evans down, said: “Yes, there will now be peace in Lagos State.”
Another policeman said: “Evans is
the most brilliant, most notorious high profile kidnapper in the history of
Nigeria. He has collected billions of naira as ransom over the last seven
years as the kingpin of kidnappers.”
The arrest of the suspect was led by
an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Mr Abba Kyari, who is also in charge
of IRT.
Kyari enthused: “I’m the happiest
person on earth today. I Thank God one billion times. Lagos State will have
peace now. Kudos to the Nigeria Police Force and the Inspector General of
Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris.”
According to police sources, Idris
was so worried about the daring escapades of Evans that he had declared him
wanted. Idris mobilized resources of Nigeria Police Force and instructed Kyari
to personally handle the investigation and tracking of Evans.
Aside from Evans, the late Henry
Chibueze aka Vampire, was another deadly kidnapper in Nigeria history.
A bounty of N5million was placed on
Vampire by the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, before he was tracked and
killed by operatives IRT in a shootout.
Vampire, on February 16, 2013,
stormed the home of his girlfriend, Sandra Ijedinma, at Igando area of Lagos
State, with an AK47 assault rifle and opened fire on everyone in the apartment.
He killed his girlfriend, her elder
sister, Praise Ozor and her two children. Not satisfied, Vampire proceeded to a
nearby street where one of Sandra’s elder sisters resided and killed the woman
and three of her children, before fleeing.
Yesterday, Idris has directed that
the Force Public Relations Officer, (FPPO), a Chief Superintendent of
Police, Mr Jimoh Moshood to proceed from Abuja to Lagos, in order to present
Evans to journalists on Sunday at the Lagos Police Command.
Recall that police authorities,
recently, placed a N30M bounty on his Evans after the arrest of some of his
gang members.
According to the police, Evans
allegedly led the gang which had kidnapped several wealthy businessmen.
Police sources said operatives found
it difficult to identify Evans as none of his photographs had ever been seen,
making it difficult for policemen tracking him and delaying his eventual
arrest.
A source said “He knows that police
cannot identify him because they do not have his photographs. He used this
opportunity to travel about unnoticed.”
Operatives allegedly recovered four
AK47 rifles and more than 1000 rounds of ammunition from the suspect's mansion.
In May, Evans was declared wanted
after one of his victims, a rich pharmacist, Mr Donatus Dunu, whom he kidnapped
on February 14, 2017, escaped from their hideout in Igando.
Dunu’s family was said to have paid
the sum of N150million, but Evans still refused to release him, insisting he
wanted one million euros.
Evans and his members were also
behind the abduction of Sir James Uzochukwu Uduji, Chairman of Comet Star
Manufacturing Company, before he was released. Some other victims are Elias
Unachukwu, Ojukwu Cosmas, Fidel Umeh, Chief Raymond Okoye and Uche Okoroafor.
The Lagos State Commissioner of
Police, Fatai Owoseni, while speaking on Evans after declaring him wanted in
May, said: “We’re encouraging Nigerians to blow the whistle on this kidnapper.
Whoever blows the whistle that will lead to his arrest, will get a N30 million
reward, as stated by the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.”
In that same May, policemen traced
Evans to his hideout at Igando area, but he fled before their arrival,
abandoning cache of arms.
The recovered arms included four
AK-47 rifles; two automatic pistols; four magazines loaded with 60 rounds of
ammunitions each; 1,272 ammunition, 59 AK-47 ammunition; a police bullet-proof
vest; a Toyota Hiace bus and a motorcycle.
Two suspects, who were later
arrested in connection with the criminal activities of Evans, confessed to
being his gang members.
Owoseni noted: “Evans has been on
the wanted list of the Police in Anambra, Edo and Lagos states, for four years.
The Command is already doing what is necessary in accordance with the laws of
Lagos State on kidnapping. That is by taking over the house used by Evans to
keep abducted victims or demolish it.”
The suspect, since 2013 has been
involved in kidnapping, targeting rich, Igbo families.
Evans allegedly has more than 20 men
working for him in Lagos. He used to be able to pick rich targets because he
too has property in choice areas.
A police source said: “He displays
wealth. He has properties in Lekki and Ajah. He drives expensive cars and mixes
with the rich in the society. Once he targets a victim, he sends a team to
monitor the victim’s movement. When it’s time to grab the victim, another team
would move in. They used to blindfold their victims and take them to unknown
destination within any state. The victims would be held captive for months
until ransom is paid. When victims are released, Evans warns them never
to narrate their experiences to the police or members of their families would
be abducted.”
Last year alone, over 10
millionaires were alleged to have fallen victims to Evans’ gang in Festac and
Satellite Town. The kidnappers used to dress in camouflage and are known for
grabbing victims’ right at the doorsteps of their homes.
A police source attached to Area ‘E’
Police Command, Festac, said: “We know these kidnappers are the same. Their
modus of operation is the same. They wear camouflage and use the same type of
vehicles. Most of the victims are traders at ASPAMDA section of the Trade Fair
Complex.”
Another police source said: “One of
the millionaires in Festac called me; he said many of them are scared and are
currently moving out of Festac. He said he didn’t understand what was going on
in Festac. When he was counting the people that had been abducted, he wasn’t
aware of the kidnap of Frank Umeh. He said that what troubles them most in
Festac about the kidnappings, is that the kidnappers used to demand ransom in
dollars. One of the residents told me that one of the victims’ ransom was paid
in South Africa.”
The said Frank Umeh was trailed to
the front of his house. He had his personal with him, but the kidnappers didn’t
bother with the driver. They took grabbed Umeh and bundled him into their
car. Evans was said to have once demanded $1 million from a victim his
gang abducted in Festac.
After collecting the money, the
kidnappers refused to release the victim, claiming that his family was rude to
them. The kidnappers demanded another $1 million.
It will be recalled that the Lagos
State Police Command had repeatedly denied that there was serial kidnapping in
Festac area.
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