Evan's interrogation footage.
Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly Known as Evan, is a ringleader of a notorious kidnapping group in Lagos arrested on 10- 11 of June, 2017. He had boys in many states within the country and would carry out his operations conveniently by just placing a phone call for his boys to whisk their target into an unknown location until a ransom was paid. (Even the billionaire kidnapper)
One of his expensive wristwatches was estimated at $170K. His net worth estimated N2.2 billion. (net worth estimated in 2017. His known properties, especially his residential house in Lagos was worth N130,000,000 million. He has four duplexes, two in Magodo and another two in Ghana, with each of the four buildings worthing N15 million each.
Because of his major successful kidnapping jobs carried out years before he was put into the police net, Evan had made millions of money from his victims.
This was one of the reasons, the Nigerian police force believed that he was one of the richest kidnappers in Nigeria and would deserve to be called “The Billionaire Kidnapper” who collected about $1000,000 in one of his Festac kidnapping operations.
But a day came, like they say “one day is for the owner of the house”, Evan could longer cover his tracks and the Nigerian police successfully nailed him down while he was in the midst of the weekend enjoyment and celebrations over his series of successful illegal activities.
Even gave details of his methods of operation? (4)
However, initial it had seemed like the suspect was not willing to give up more details. But then, as one question led to another and one answer even to more other connected answers, he unknownly gave the interrogators every information that they had needed.
“Where did you start kidnapping?” the officer interrogated him
“Okay, I started in Anambra. Then I came to Lagos,” Evan said.
“How many jobs did you do in Anambra?”
“The truth of the matter is that I didn’t do anything in Anambra. Anambra can get a record of this,” he said. “In other states it’s like about three times.”
“Who and who did you kidnap in Edo?”
“I don’t know their names. I know about a few? You understand . But I know people that did the job. Initially they said they did not collect N100,000, 000. They collected N50,000,000. I told you about doing technical jobs for them only,” he said.
“When did you move to Lagos?”
“Hmm, it is in 2013. Yes, I can remember,” Evan recalled.
“Who and who did you kidnap in Festac?” (Evan the billionaire kidnapper)
“No, I don’t normally know their names. But, if I see them, I know them.”
“How do you identify the rich?” asked another one of the officers.
“Anybody that is rich, you know that he’s rich now?” he said.
“How do you get information about your target?
“Actually, I do get information anyhow possible.”
“How do you meet your boys?”
“I will call them on the phone like let’s meet so, so and so place before we start going for the operation.”
Where do you get the clothes ( military uniform) you use for the operation?
“No! I don’t have any military uniform,” he denied.
How many of you do you take to the operation?
“Okay, I do take like 3 or 4 boys with me.
Now, evan described how those he had kidnapped were being planned and stalked around before finally taking them away to a secret location.
“How do you get the victims away?” the Officer asked again.
“When we get there, we will carry the man and put inside the car and drive off. But, it’s not inside the house. It’s maybe around the road after everything had been planned.”
To clear her curiosity one of the female officers asked, “So you wait for your victims to come out?
“Yes,” he answered.
“What is the most expensive ransom you have collected?
“Okay, the highest ransom we have collected is in Festac $1,000,000. It was somebody living in Festac,” Evan mentioned one of his biggest hit
“Where do you keep your victims for months?
“It is just because maybe they are wasting time. You know when they are wasting time, you just have to wait for the money to be complete. There are some people that will be feeding them.”
He also was asked to give details of his boys and other accessories. (1)
How many guys are doing that for you?
“Just one. He is around the Egun Area. He is in a rented apartment. The name of the boy is Uche.”
“How much do you pay Uche?”
“N2000,000 after each operation, yes that is the amount I paid Uche. The rest of the boys shared the money after every kidnapping job was concluded.”
The officer tried to get a lead so as to be able to uncover more details about others who were still involved. Because, the police realised that it would be an unfinished job if there were still others representing him out there.
“Do you have boys in each state of Nigeria?
“Yes, but I don’t have any in Lagos right now,” Evan revealed.
How many are your boys working with you?
“Okay, they are like 5. We are 6 in number.All my operations in other states beyond Lagos is by phone call. I will call, then we gather together.”
Who goes to collect the money? Who collects the ransom first?
“I can make the call, and they will go and collect the money.”
“Where do you meet?” she questioned him seriously about there hideouts
“We can meet along the road. Like when you ask someone to wait for you to arrive and pick them up.”
The officer would want to know his family. His mother, sisters, wife and the innocent children that he was going to leave behind as he was about to face lifetime criminal charges.
“Tell us about your family, your mom and your sisters. Do they know what you do?”
“As for my mom, she doesn’t know what I do like that. I just visit her in the village once a month. And somehow as a human being, my mother knows but she is not in support of that,” he explained.
“What about your sister? Where is she now? Does she know what you do?
“She is in Lagos here, but she doesn’t know anything about my kind of job.”
“How much did you buy the house you are Iiving in Lagos today?
“Well,I bought the house for N130,000,000 last year. It was when I was still living around here. I have two houses in Lagos and two houses in Ghana.”
The officer persuaded him to relate the feeling he had about killing those of his victims who did not meet up with their ransom.
“How do you feel about the people you killed?”
“No! It’s not me that kill, I don’t kill,” Evan denied.
“How about the Young Shall Grow accident?” the other officers also asked.
“That day I was driving my boys. It was my boys that did the shooting.”
Then, looking at his arm they saw bullet-riddled scares.
“How did you get the bullet wound in your arm?” the officer enquired.
“It was when I was doing drugs business in South Africa. Somebody shot me.”
He was also demanded to send his final message to his children; and to give his message to other kidnappers out there lurking in the still of the night.
“What advice do you have for others who are doing this same illegal operation? And what message do you have for your children?”(Evan the Nigerian kidnapper)
“I believe that God will take control of them. And I advise that anybody that is doing kidnapping should quit,” Evan, “The Billionaire Kidnapper”, concluded (3)
