Captured billionaire kidnapper, Evans divulges more details about his operation

According to reports, captured billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudi Dumeme Onuamadike a.k.a Evans has promised to give up his evil ways and become a born again Christian if freed.

However, confessional statements received so far has revealed that Evans’ first robbery gang specialized in attacking luxury buses plying the East – West Road, at night. Police sources explained that Evans was involved in several highway robberies from which he raised enough money with which he travelled to South Africa.

A former anti-robbery police operative attached to Orile Police Station, who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that Evans and his gang specialized in robbing traders in luxury buses travelling at night on the road.

The ex-policeman added that Evans who had several informants around motor parks in Alafia, Maza-Maza and Jibowu areas of Lagos State, used to obtain first hand information on the movements of traders coming to Lagos State with huge amounts of money from  informants working at major luxury buses parks across the country.

The source disclosed that Evans and his gang would attack these buses on the highway and dispossess the passengers of their cash and other valuables, explaining that some of his gang members were arrested and when the police were closing in on him, he  fled the country to return a few years later and relocated to the  East.

It was gathered that while in the East, he formed another dangerous gang that started robbing and kidnapping wealthy business men especially in the commercial city of Onitsha in Anambra State and Aba in  Abia State.

When his notoriety soared in criminal circles, other robbery gangs started seeking him.  That was how he became the financier of arms and armourer for the fearless and deadly armed robbery kingpin in the east from Nkanu in Enugu State, popularly called Ngwu Ekekere Omu,  who robbed banks all over the country until he was killed in Anambra by a military patrol team that blocked a road on a tip-off from  members of the Special anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, in Awka.

Afterwards, he carried out a bloody robbery operation at the university town of Nsukka, Enugu State, where he killed among others,  a Divisional Police Officer and later shot the SARS Commander in Enugu in the knee while they were pursuing him along Adani/Otuocha road.

During that operation, he also burnt down Nsukka Police Station after raiding one of the banks and as he was escaping from the scene with his gang, they threw bundles of crisp Naira notes in different denominations to the cheering crowd and commercial motorcyclists, including school children who were on their way home.

Ngwu Ekere Omu died in 2009 and most of his gang members were hunted down and eliminated by members of the Special anti-Robbery Squad in Enugu and Anambra states.

Police sources said Evans participated actively in that deadly operation and later, after some of their gang members including their leader were killed, he again escaped abroad.

On his return, according to sources, he veered into full time kidnapping with Lagos as his base.  He used to pose as a spare parts dealer from South Africa with proceeds of his crime. Reports also alleged that he participated in some operations with another notorious killer, Vampire, who was later killed by the Police after plotting his escape from Owerri court in Imo State, while on trial.

He spoke of how he went into kidnapping after being introduced to it by a friend known as Hunchman. Hunchman was eventually killed during the failed kidnapping attempt on the life of the owner of Young Shall Grow Motors, Chief Vincent Obianodo.

He began kidnapping in Anambra state, during Peter Obi’s tenure but was later forced to leave the state from where they relocated to Edo and grew the kidnapping syndicate, getting more boys from Warri, Delta State to join them. From there, he moved to Lagos and continued in the illegal business.

“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,” Evans confessed.

He continued: “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.

There is also a WhatsApp viral message claiming to be more confessions from the kidnap kingpin. In it, it was revealed that he fled from Opi, Nsukka Local Government of Enugu State to Lagos in the year 2000 after stabbing his fiancee because she decided against marrying him.

The broadcast message further claimed that prior to kidnapping, Evans was doing drugs and also worked as a driver though he ended up stealing large sums from his bosses.

Evans allegedly said: “The first job I got in Lagos was at Johnbulls Ikoyi as a driver to the CEO. One day we were going to his office and my boss said that he wanted to visit a friend. The moment he stepped into his friend’s house, I took the sum of N350,000 he had in the car and ran away to Ghana. I later returned to Nigeria after few months and avoided Ikoyi where my ex-boss office is situated. I then got a new job as a driver in the fashion I did before.  I also stole N600,000 and eloped to Ghana again.

“I returned to Lagos in 2000 and used my old method to secure another job as a driver at the home of the first family I kidnapped their daughter. When I realised that they are very rich and loved their daughter deeply. I took the girl to Ghana from where I demanded a ransom of only N20m but the girl’s father paid N22m instead. I then freed the girl in Ghana. Once I got this money, I ventured into an extravagant lifestyle and bought a house in Ghana. Then, I bought over five exotic cars and a truck. I began to show prominently in social functions where people hailed the way I was spending money.

“I spent over N2m on orphanages and local primary schools in Ghana. The Deputy Nigeria Ambassador to Ghana and other prominent Nigerians were also in attendance at the handing over ceremony of my donations. Early this year, I was arrested along with my wife, in Lagos. We were brought to the court but we later regained our freedom due to the power of my money and connections.”

VANGUARD/ ET AL.