By Emma Nnadozie, Crime Editor, Ifeanyi Okolie
and Joseph Undu
LAGOS — The notorious kidnap gang leader,
Chukwudi Onuamadike, a.k.a Evans, who was
arrested, weekend, in Lagos, stunned the
Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, during
interrogation when he pleaded passionately, in
tears, that he should be given a second chance
to change to a better person, and become a
born-again Christian.
Wanted kidnapper, Evans, real names Chukwudi
Onuamadike, was yesterday paraded by the
Police after his arrest. PiC 1: Evans speaking
with newsmen. PiC 2: His arsenal. Notice the
secateur before a rifle. In the foreground are
manacles he used to immobilize his victims. PiC
3: Members of his gang — from left, Nwosu
Chikodi, a.k.a Sudo, Suoyo Paul, a.k.a. Nwana,
Chinemere Felix, Ikenna Emeka, Uche Amadi, and
Ogechi Amadi, who cooked for kidnap victims.
PIC 4: One of the houses Evans built with
proceeds of his kidnap business, in Magodo area
of Lagos. Photos by Ifeanyi Okolie.
This was just minutes before he was paraded by
the Force Public Relations Officer, Moshood
Jimoh, with six members of his gang, including a
married woman, described as their cook, at
Command Headquarters, Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday.
‘How I became a kidnapper’
“My friend, known as Hunch Man, introduced me
into kidnapping and after a few operations during
Peter Obi’s administration, we were forced to
leave the state and we moved to Edo State. I
had some boys from Warri, Delta State, working
with me.
“We carried out two big kidnappings where our
victims paid N80m and N100million respectively.
In 2013, I came to Lagos and I went straight to
Festac Town. Before I came to Festac, I had
already established contacts with some boys.
One of the jobs we did was that of the owner of
Young Shall Grow Motors, Chief Vincent
Obianodo.
“One guy, known as Emeka, brought the job and
we were five that went for that operation —
Hunch Man, Nmamdi, Uche, Nwoke and I. I was
the one driving and our target was to kill Young
Shall Grow’s driver and his police orderly. Hunch
Man, Uche Nnamdi and Nwoke were carrying
guns and they were the people who fired at
Young Shall Grow.
“Hunch Man and Uche were killed during the
attack, while Nnamdi, Nwoke and I survived. That
operation was my most bloody operation. I didn’t
know it was going to turn out that way. I usually
don’t know names of people I kidnapped in
Festac. But if I see them, I will tell you what I did
to them. I have people who gave me information
about my victims.
“The pharmacist job is the only one that gave us
a problem. The highest ransom I collected was $
1million dollars from somebody living in Festac. I
keep my victims for months because I want their
people to pay the ransom I demanded. I have
people cooking for my victims, one of who stays
in the house; his name is Uche.
“The other boy is from Aguleri. The boy is a new
person, but Uche is old. I usually pay Uche
N20million for every operation. I usually make
the calls for the ransom. I have six boys in
Lagos. My mother does not come to my house
and she also knows that I am into crime but she
is not in support.
“I bought this house for N130million and I have
two houses in Magodo. My house in Ghana is
bigger than this. I don’t kill.
Evans has evaded arrest since 2013
Evans, notorious kidnapper
Evans has evaded arrest since August, 2013
when he was declared wanted by the Police after
the aborted kidnap attempt of the owner of
Young Shall Grow Motors’, Chief Vincent
Obianodo, at FESTAC, which he masterminded.
He was arrested by the Joint Special Forces, led
by the Intelligence Response Team, IRT, the
Lagos State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping
Unit and Technical and Intelligence Unit of the
Force.
According to a police source, Evans was the only
surviving member of the gang as three of his
gang members were killed by the Policeman
attached to the victim who later lost his life in
the process.
However, Evans later regrouped and continued to
carry out more vicious attacks on Lagos
residents, and was alleged to have engaged in
high-profile kidnap cases in Lagos, and collects
his ransom in foreign currencies.
He never negotiated down his ransom, always
insisting he would not release his prey until the
last kobo was paid.
Addressing newsmen during the parade, the
Force Public Relations Officer, Force
Headquarters, Abuja, Chief Superintendent of
Police, CSP Jimoh Moshood, gave the names of
other gang members as 42- year- old Nwosu
Chikodi Chukwuma, a.k.a Sudo, who is the third
in command to Evans, Suoyo Paul, a.k.a Nwana,
42; Felix Chinemerem, 36, a native of
Arochuchukwu, is said to be Evan’s second in
command; Ikenna Emeka, 28; Uchechukwu
Amadi and Ogechi Amadi who the Police alleged
cooked for their victims.
He said: “On the 10th of June, 2017, the police
raided the criminal fortress of the suspect, a
native of Umudim in Nnewi North Local
Government Area of Anambra State who is
responsible for the kidnap of notable and
prominent Nigerians in Lagos as well as Western,
Eastern, South-South and some Northern states.
‘’After an intense gun battle which lasted several
hours, his gang was overpowered by the superior
fire power of the Joint Special Force and was
finally arrested at Magodo Estate, Ikeja area of
Lagos.”
Arms and ammunitions recovered from the gang,
according to the Force spokesman, include; five
AK-47 Riffle, one AK-49 Riffle, two Double Barrel
Long, two English Pistols, fifty-Nine AK-47
magazines with ammunition, 1,272 live
ammunition of AK-47 (9mm), five different plate
numbers while other weapons are still being
recovered from his different criminal hideouts in
different parts of the states.
How Evans organized his kidnapping activities
Members of his gang — from left, Nwosu Chikodi,
a.k.a Sudo, Suoyo Paul, a.k.a. Nwana, Chinemere
Felix, Ikenna Emeka, Uche Amadi, and Ogechi
Amadi,
Evans is said to have separate gang members,
many of whom he does not know. He is also said
to be the most intelligent and coordinated kidnap
kingpin in Nigeria. He has 12 mobile phones and
four other powerful phones, one of which cost
about N2.5 million.
A police source who confided in Vanguard , said:
“Evans uses one phone for his wife and one for
each person he does business with. All his gang
members have their phones. Gang A has its
phone, Gang B has its phone, his business
associates have their phones and he does not
use the phone belonging to another gang to call
the other. Their numbers are not even saved in
other phones. He uses his children and wife’s
names to acquire properties and not his real
name.
“His properties include two luxurious mansions in
Magodo G.R.A Phase 2, worth about N300m, two
houses in the highbrow area of Accra in Ghana,
among many other properties such as exotic
cars, expensive watches, jewelleries and so on.
In his kidnap attacks, Evans has a separate
armed group that abducts victims for him and
hands them over to another group that takes the
victims to hideouts. Members of the two groups
don’t know each other. They complied with his
instructions strictly.
According to CSP Moshood; “Evans and his gang
not only confessed to all the kidnappings linked
to them but stated the various roles they played
in the commission of the crimes during
interrogation and preliminary investigation. They
will be charged to court on completion of
investigation.”
When he was interviewed by newsmen, Evans
narrated his exploits: “I started kidnapping in
2008 and one Louise whom I met in a restaurant
in Lagos, sometimes ago, was the one that
supplied me with arms and ammunition. Apart
from kidnapping, I have been into drug business
where I made most of my money. Before I
started kidnapping, I was a businessman, leaving
my business for kidnapping was my personal
choice. I also do drug business. I live in Lagos; I
am not living out of the country.”
Asked why he has been arrested now after
evading arrest for so long, he said: “Everything
has its own time.”
He also denied the allegation that he has an
uncompleted property in Onitsha where he keeps
some of his hostages. “I am just asking for
another chance, I am sorry for my action, I will
become a Christian, if only I have another
chance. I cannot remember the number of
people I have kidnapped so far. I took part in
high profile kidnappings in Edo State where I got
N10million as my share.”
Gang members speak
Uchechukwu Amadi said to be a long time ally of
Evans, said: “I knew Evans for the past five
years; I used to work for him when he was into
pure water business at Maza-Maza area of
Lagos.
“He was into pure water manufacturing business
before I left for Port Harcourt. I am married with
a 12 year-old child. One day, Evans called me to
meet him in Lagos, and he told me, he was going
to provide accommodation for me. I now sent
him my wife’s account number to send the
money before I came to Lagos to meet him.
“I have not got any money from him since I
came, apart from the one he later sent to one
Ngozi, who paid the rent for my family to
relocate to Lagos.
“My wife is not part of this, she is not involved in
anyway. Ngozi paid the money directly to the
landlady and she was the one that was bringing
the money to us for upkeep of the victim.
“Sometimes, Emeka would go somewhere and
meet with Evans where he would give him the
money. I was the one that was taking care of
the victim. I only did one job with him, he even
threatened to kill me when the victim escaped.
“He said I am the one that put him into all the
mess he is now passing through. It was one
Emeka and I that were in charge of the victim. I
was only there for two months. When this thing
happened, I asked him to give me money but he
said, he is not through with the man and that, he
cannot give me money until he is through.”
Corroborating, her husband’s story, Ogechi Amadi
told Vanguard that she was aware that her
husband was a friend to Evans but not in any
way involved in their activities.
“Ngozi was the one that paid for the house; she
is also the one cooking for them,’’ she said.
Visit to Magodo
The tranquillity enjoyed by residents of Fred
Shoboyede Street, off Bashiru Shittu Road,
Magodo Phase 2, Lagos, was shattered Sunday,
as policemen armed to the teeth stormed house
3, a five-bedroom duplex, home to most wanted
kidnap kingpin in the country, Evans.
One of the houses Evans built with proceeds of
his kidnap business, in Magodo area of Lagos.
Photos by Ifeanyi Okolie
Residents of the highbrow estate gathered at the
entrance of the gate to Evans’ house, to have a
clear glance of the man who had lived amidst
them and was said to have masterminded the
kidnapping of several wealthy persons, and
collected ransom to the tune of $1million from
each of his victims.
They expressed disbelief as Evans, who they
thought was a successful businessman, was
brought in handcuffs to his house by Policemen.
During a chat, they called for improved security
within the estate and proper screening of people
moving into the estate.
One of them who spoke with Vanguard on the
condition of anonymity stated: “This estate
management needs to start conducting proper
checks on people who want to reside in this
estate. You have to show us proof of what you
do and your tax returns. With that we will know
what you earn and if we don’t have these proofs,
we will not allow you reside in our estate.”
Another resident who spoke with Vanguard from
the balcony of his apartment said he does not
know he was living next to a deadly criminal.
According to the neighbour who didn’t give his
name; “I don’t know he is kidnapper, perhaps he
doesn’t associate much with people. He is
always driving in and out and he seldom speaks
with his neighbours. Even when he is at the car
wash, he sits in his vehicle, keeps the engine
running while the vehicle is being washed. I have
never suspected him because I felt he was just
living his life not until policemen trailed him to
his house.”
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