I knew my victims’ worth from their looks – Evans

Suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike popularly known as Evans has revealed that he knows his victims’ worth from their looks. 

In a video played at the trial of Evans on Friday January 10, alongside Uche Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba over the alleged kidnap of Donatus Dunu, chief executive officer of Maydon Pharmaceutical Ltd, the billionaire kidnapper shared details of his victims who paid ransoms in six-figures and in foreign currencies.

Testifying in court before the video was played, the state prosecutor Idowu Haruna narrated how Evans spent the ransoms he allegedly received from his victims.

He said; 

“The investigation carried out revealed that the ransoms collected by the first defendant was used in purchasing a house at Fred Shoboyede Road, Magodo, where he was arrested. 

“He purchased a second house at Emmanuel Keshi St., Magodo and another property in Accra, Ghana.

“He used part of the ransom to establish himself in the haulage business and some of the trucks he bought with the ransoms were recovered by police. He also bought some landed property in Anambra state. “

When asked how he knew those to kidnap in the video played in the courtroom during the cross-examination of Idowu Haruna by Emmanuel Ochai, the defence counsel to Victor Aduba who is one of the co-defendants, Evans said “when you see someone that has money you will know”. He also revealed that he knew his victim’s will sell their properties to secure their release. 

Evans who disclosed that Aduba, a dismissed army officer accompanied him during kidnap operations, however said he did not participate in the kidnap of Dunu in the video.

While the prosecution closed its case against Evans and his five co-defendants after the video was played, the defense counsel pointed out that Evans never identified Aduba (sixth defendant) as a participant in the kidnap of Dunu.

Reacting to this, Haruna said; 

 “According to information the victim (Dunu) gave to police, kidnappers that came to abduct him were in army camouflage.

“This collaborated the information provided by the kidnap kingpin that most of the kidnapping he carried out were with the participation of the sixth defendant and that the sixth defendant did not participate in the kidnap of Dunu.”

The six defendants were first arraigned on August 30, 2017 on two counts of conspiracy and kidnapping. Four witnesses including Mr Dunu who was kidnapped in Lagos on February 14, 2017 after which the suspects allegedly collected £223,000 (N100 million) as ransom from his family, testified during the trial on behalf of the state.