Inside Details Of How Billionaire Kidnapper Evans Was Nabbed
CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
The Nigeria Police has paraded the arrested most wanted kidnap kingpin, Chukwudubem Dumeme Onwuamadike aka Evans alongside six members of his gang Sunday in Lagos.
The arrested gang members are Nwosu Chukwuma Aka Sudo, 42; Suoyo Paul Aka Nwana,42; Felix Chinemerem, 36; Ikenna Emeka, 28; and husband and wife, Uchechukwu Amadi and his wife, Ogechi whose role was to keep and feed the victims until ransom was paid.
Speaking while parading the suspects at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja GRA, Lagos, Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Jimoh Moshood,who flew in from Abuja, revealed how the police special team successfully arrested Evans in his mansion located in Magodo GRA, Lagos after eluding police radar for five years.
He revealed that Evans was apprehended in a joint operatives of Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team led by ACP Abba Kyari, in conjunction with officers of the Lagos State Police Command.
The operation was under the supervision of the Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni.
Moshood said the arrest was successful after a fearful continuous shootings inside Magodo at around 1pm on Saturday.
“Chukwudi Dumeme Onuamadike a.k.a EVANS was first declared wanted in August, 2013 when he masterminded the attempted kidnap of CHIEF VINCENT OBIANUDO, the owner of Young Shall Grow Motors in Festac, Lagos, where a Policeman attached to the victim foiled the attack and killed three of Evans gang members but also lost his life in the process.
“Some of Evans gang members were subsequently arrested, but he regrouped after with several gangs and became more vicious and unleashed terror in the mentioned States of the Federation.
” Evans and his gang keep their victims kidnapped in Lagos Area at House No. 21 Prophet Asaye Close New Igando, Lagos State until the ransom is paid to him.
“Ransom money are paid to him in Millions of Dollars, some victims are kept for upward of six to seven months until the last penny is paid. He never reduces his tagged ransom money. None of his gang members knows his house.
The Force spokesman explained Evans’ modus operandi.
“In every kidnap attack he has a separate armed group that kidnapped victim with him and has another armed group who takes over the victim to their hideouts and prevent them from escaping. The members of the two ‘2’ groups don’t know each other. They complied with Evans instructions.
“Evans, and the dreaded vampire who died during a gun duel with the Police Special Forces led by IRT and Imo State Police Command in a forest in River State early this year are axis of evil in kidnappings in Southern Nigerian States and some Northern States. This is a huge success for the Nigeria Police Force.
“The Force will build on this success and continue to prevent kidnap cases and criminality generally in the country, and ensure prompt detection of those crimes that cannot be prevented, and also ensure that perpetrators are arrested, investigated and prosecuted”.
Moshood said several arms and ammunition were recovered from the gang.
“Recovered after a gun duel with this vicious and notorious kidnap gang are; 5 AK 47 rifles, 2 Double barrel long guns, 59 Magazines, 2 English pistols and AK 47 magazines, local handcuffs and other dangerous weapons.
“We equally have 1,000 live ammunition and five different plate numbers of different vehicles they use in kidnapping their victims.
“Presently, we are investigating and we going to recover all those vehicles and other weapons are still been recovered from their hideouts across the South South, South East and South West and some parts of the Northern Nigeria.
The police spokesman also said the apprehension of the suspects is a desire result in fight against kidnapping in the country.
He listed 13 of the high-profile victims which the gang have kidnapped and obtained ransom worth billions on Naira.
“I want to assure everyone present here that the IGP Ibrahim Idris is deploying all the resources of the Force to ensure kidnapping is a thing of a past.
“The arrest of Evans and six members of his gang is the beginning to end of kidnapping and other violent crimes in this country,” Moshood added.
He said Evans organised the gang in such a way that they were divided into two groups: one group would go for operation, while the other keep the victim until ransom was paid.
Both group did not knew each other.
It was gathered that more than 20 security operatives stormed the Fred Shoboyejo home of Evans, less than a month after the police announced a N30 million bounty in return for information that would lead to his arrest.
For at least seven years, Evans has co-ordinated bank robberies across Oyo, River and Abia States, as well as numerous high-profile kidnaps whose ransoms amount to hundreds of millions of naira.
According to reports by The Guardian, on Saturday morning, after months of information gathering and fresh tips, the usual quiet ambiance of Magodo GRA Phase 2 was interrupted by gunshots as security manned the Y-crescent zone where Evans lived.
Without a picture of what he looked like, it was gathered that the security operatives first descended upon an adjacent building and roughened the occupants before realising their mistake.
However, the security team later succeeded as they sighted a certain luxurious SUV owned by Evans parked inside the suspected kingpin’s building and they then stormed there.
Painted in light blue, the modest duplex sits behind a reflecting steel gate, not very differently from the many other duplex buildings in the area.
As neighbours gathered to watch in disbelief, many lamented the grave danger they had been unknowingly exposed to by living next to a criminal of this repute.
“There’s always 24-hours power supply in this (Evan’s) house. He even connected the street lights from the generating set serving his house. At least, we’ll miss him for that deed,” a neighbour said.
Neighbours said Evans lived in the upscale Magodo house with his wife and two kids, househelp and a gateman.
Glimpses about his lavish lifestyle are emerging, with his confession that he splashed his loot in buying a wristwatch for $170,000.
He also bought three phones for $6000 each and owned two houses inside the highbrow Magodo Estate and another two houses in Ghana.
He drove himself and had no security apparatus or escort vans.
He was totally unassuming and drew no attention to himself.
He loved cars and had a black sport car which he would sometimes park on the street.
His next-door neighbour is an ex-naval officer.
This raid unsettled the otherwise quiet estate where the Deputy Governor of Lagos State also lives.
One of the security men at Fred Shoboyejo gate explained that Evans had moved out his family and a few other belongings about a week before.
It was gathered that the operatives got intelligence Evans was hiding in his Magodo mansion where he was surrounded.
The suspect was said to have run to the roof of the house for emergency exit but the policemen caught up with him.
In the course of his arrest, he slammed the door against the operatives and injured a policeman.
The raid was successful and as security operatives brought out heavy bags and a vault – suspected to contain money and weapons, the visibly excited officials shot in the air sporadically, playing loud music from their cars, striking a machete against the tarred road out of joy, dancing and singing.
Early bystanders claimed Evans had exchanged gunshots with the officials before he was captured.
A ritual where a broom was allegedly inserted into his private organ was then performed as a sort of spiritual disarming before he was handcuffed.
An official was heard lamenting the number of colleagues the force had lost to Evans’ several operations and previous botched raids.
The kidnap kingpin, who hail from Umudim, Nnewi in Anambra State, said he sent his wife away when he realised the police were closing in on him.
He said he once relocated to Ghana and was planning to travel abroad before he was caught.
Force Spokesman said the suspects will be charged to court after the conclusion of investigation.