Evans: Drama
as court grants bail to 3 suspects
…Victim
spits fire
…Police
accuse victim of nonchalance
…Evans
pleads to meet Vanguard reporter who interviewed his wife
A disturbing
dramatic interplay is rearing its ugly head over the ongoing investigation into
allegations of kidnapping and armed robbery against Chukwudem Onwamadike
a.k.a
Evans, and other suspects who were recently, rounded up by the police in Lagos.
This is also
as sources disclosed that the dreaded kidnap kingpin, Evans, has not been
opening up well to interrogators about his accomplices although he was said to
have mentioned one name. Though details of the disclosure were still sketchy as
at press time, sources said investigators were discreet over the case but were
seriously looking into his allegations with a view to establishing its veracity
and effecting arrest.
The drama
started after three of the suspects who were earlier detained before the
suspected kingpin, Evans, was arrested, were granted bail by a Yaba Magistrate
court. The trio, Kingsley Egbeonu, Emeka Egbuligha and Tochukwu Nwosu, all
staff of Maydon Pharmacy in Ilupeju, whose owner, Chief Dona Dunu, escaped from
Evans’ kidnappers den at Igando, were accused of masterminding the kidnap of
their boss. They were subsequently arrested after their boss escaped and
narrated his sordid experiences while in captivity.
Chief Dunu
who parted with a huge ransom of N150m, reportedly alleged that while in the
den of his abductors, he heard the voice one of the Pharmacist under his
employ, discussing with the kidnappers. He further alleged that his abductors,
while negotiating for ransom, revealed vital information about his company
known only to his workers and that he also overheard them discussing how to
remove goods from his warehouse not knowing that he would survive to disclose
their identities.
Based on
these allegations, police investigators swung into action and arrested three of
his staff, remanding them in their custody with court order. It was gathered
that after the arrest of the celebrated kidnap kingpin, Evans and his
subsequent parade at the command headquarters, Ikeja, an identification parade
was carried out and both Evans and other members of his gang said they did not
know the three staff of the pharmaceutical company. Furthermore, a search at
the warehouse of the company showed that nothing was tampered with contrary to
earlier claims by the victim that he overheard one of the suspects discussing
with his abductors how to part with his goods in the warehouse.
Saturday
Vanguard learned that after this, their lawyers went to a Yaba Magistrate court
to vacate police detention order placed on their heads. Meanwhile, while the
accused workers were jubilating over their freedom, their estranged boss was
gnashing his teeth, lamenting that police not only failed to provide him with
security after he escaped from kidnapper’s den but also did not do a good job
following which those he suspected as key accomplices in the kidnap saga have
been freed. This, according to sources close to him, has endangered his life
the more and his family is accusing the police of negligence.
“Our brother
not only narrated how he heard the voice of one of his workers while in
captivity but also gave vivid details of how his abductors were reeling out
details of his company activities before collecting a huge ransom. All we are
saying is that police abysmally failed to live up to billing in the court and
even while investigating the suspected members of his staff.
We strongly
believe that one of the members of Evan’s gang who was arrested with his wife
is related to one of the suspected workers, and the fact that they denied
knowing him does not mean that he should be freed. If not, how did they get
information about the 40 cars he gave to his dedicated staff sometime ago. How
did they know about his warehouse? These are related issues that should make
police investigate them properly,” the family source stated.
On their
part, police sources said Chief Dunu has not been showing up since he escaped
from the den of the kidnappers. “As soon as he got his freedom, he disappeared
without giving police his contact. We managed to get him to make statements
later and after that, we did not see him again.
Just
imagine, almost all the victims have been coming forward, not only to commend
police for the arrest of their tormentor, but to also make useful statements
that could assist us carry out successful investigations into the criminal
activities of the gang and their leader but Chief Dunu remains incommunicado.
What do you expect us to do? Go and arrest and force him to aid our
investigations or what?
Meantime,
Saturday Vanguard learned that lawyers to the released staff of his company are
threatening to go to court to redeem the image of their clients which they said
had been so much bruised and battered by their arrest over the kidnap case.
One of the
lawyers was overheard saying that the case was adjoined for next month to
enable police conclude their investigations and if eventually they are
exonerated, which we are sure will happen, they will seek redress in court
against the Chief for defamation of character and wrongful detention by the
police.
Similarly,
Saturday Vanguard gathered from reliable police sources that Evans might be
flown to Force Headquarters, Abuja to meet with the police hierarchy for
thorough interrogation over his criminal activities.
Already,
efforts were been made to prepare him for the meeting which sources said could
include meeting with the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris. Detectives
attached to the Intelligence Response Team, IRT, of the IGP’s special squad are
still taking the kidnap kingpin to places in Lagos and environs with a view to
identifying all the houses he used as cells during his escapades.
In another
development, Saturday Vanguard learned also that the suspected kingpin has been
making frantic efforts to meet with our reporter who interviewed his wife who
spke from Ghana, on phone. Sources said he has been appealing to policemen
guarding him to “please, in the name of God, beg Emma Nnadozie of Vanguard to
come and see me let’s discuss something about my wife he spoke with on phone.”
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