A senior police officer, who arrested kidnap kingpin, Chukwudi
Onuamadike, aka Evans, and members of his gang in 2006, shares the
encounter with Gbenga Adeniji.
How did you meet Evans?
There
was a time in 2006 that a gang of robbers attacked a commercial bank in
Lagos and went somewhere around the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, to
share the loot. While sharing the loot, the robbers had a disagreement
and shot one another. Seven members of the gang died instantly. The then
Divisional Police Officer of Iponri Police Station, Yahaya Bello, now a
deputy commissioner of police, said there was a serious incident
involving some persons who shot at one another. He said about three of
them had been arrested.
What happened thereafter?
One
of the members of the gang arrested then was Chukwudi Onuamadike,
popularly known as Evans. If you look at his chest, I cannot remember
whether it is the right or left side, there is a scar. It was as a
result of the gunshot from his gang members that day. He bled and there
was no way he could run away before the police came. The case was
transferred to the Lagos State Anti-Robbery Squad. We investigated and
discovered that they were armed robbers. Evans led the team. We also
went to Mbidi Police Station, Imo State, to carry out an investigation
on them. We were able to arrest two other members of the gang. We then
had five of them in police custody.
Were you able to prosecute him?
There
was a policewoman at the Band Section of the Police College, Lagos. She
was known as Tina, a Superintendent of Police. She insisted that we
should drop the case and that Onuamadike (Evans) was her brother. But
when she was unable to achieve her aim, she travelled to Imo State. Not
long after, we got a message from the Imo State Police Command that they
had been searching for Evans and asked us to transfer the case to them
so they could continue from where we stopped. Since that time, we did
not hear anything. We heard he was later released there.
How did you know that he was the notorious kidnap kingpin arrested by the police not long ago?
I
saw his pictures. I know the man we arrested alongside members of his
gang in 2006. But one thing was that he was not bearing the alias,
Evans, at the time. We identified him only as Chukwudi. Some of the
persons we worked together on the case also called me to draw my
attention to the fact that he was the one arrested.
Do you know if he was married at the time he was arrested for robbery?
I cannot say. You know that many criminals would be unwilling to share that part except we investigate.
Was Evans the only one released or other members were also set free then?
He
couldn’t have been the only person released. The request was that we
should transfer the case to them. We sent him and two members of his
gang to the command. There is a hotel in Okota area where they used to
meet to share their loot. The owner of the hotel was their friend. There
was a time they robbed three banks in Alaba International Market in
2005. They also looted shops there. One of the owners of the shop
complained to the police and we carried out an investigation. We
discovered that some of the items stolen in the man’s shop were digital
cameras. We traced the cameras to the hotel and into the office of the
hotel owner. It was then that ‘big men’ started calling from everywhere
that we should drop the charges against them. The owner of the hotel was
later killed by the robbers, following a disagreement. His body was
dumped by the roadside in one of the states in the East sometime ago.
What potential threat do you think Evans can constitute to the society if he finds his way out again?
He
can form a terrorist group being a hardened criminal. We are talking
about a man that would not release his victims until his exact ransom
was paid.
How best do you think his case can be handled?
The
best way to handle his case is for the police to do their work. They
should do a proper investigation. If it will take four months to
investigate him, they should do so. He has links in South Africa, Ghana,
etc. I know him. Bank robbery and hijacking of bullion vans is easy for
him and his gang members. He didn’t hesitate to shoot any member of his
gang suspected of foul play.
But in his reported pleas, he gave a picture of being non-violent?
Forget
about that. It is expected. No criminal would say he ever killed
anybody, except after a thorough investigation has nailed him or her.
Why do you think he embraced kidnapping since you noted that he probably started as an armed robber?
I
really cannot say because I have not seen him since we took him and his
other members to Imo State. I think he only tried to adopt another
criminal act he believed would fetch him more money. It is all about
greed. He wanted more and more. He kept amassing wealth because he
wanted to show off.
Editor’s Note: The policeman’s identity is concealed to protect him from persecution.