Evans: I estimated the financial worth of my victims from their looks

Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, suspected kidnap kingpin better known as Evans, says from a short distance, he estimated the financial worth of his victims. 

Evans spoke in a video played at his trial in an Ikeja high court on Friday.

Evans is standing trial 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 six defendants were arraigned on August 30, 2017, on two counts of conspiracy and kidnapping.

According to the prosecution, they allegedly kidnapped Dunu in Lagos on February 14, 2017 and collected £223,000 (N100 million) as ransom from his family.

Four witnesses, including Dunu, had testified during the trial on behalf of the state.

The video was played in the courtroom during the cross-examination of Idowu Haruna, the investigating police officer (IPO), by Emmanuel Ochai, the defence counsel to Victor Aduba, one of Evans’ co-defendants.

In the video, Evans reportedly gave the details of his victims who paid ransoms in six-figures and in foreign currencies.

Haruna asked Evans how he mapped out strategies to kidnap his victims, and he replied him, saying “when you see someone that has money you will know”.

He told the IPO he knew that his victims will pay the ransoms even if “it involves selling their property to raise the funds”.

Evans said Aduba who is a dismissed army officer, accompanied him during kidnap operations.

He added that Aduba was involved in the botched kidnap attempt of Vincent Obianodo, chairman of The Young Shall Grow Motors.

He, however, admitted that Aduba did not participate in the kidnap of Dunu.

After the video was played, the defense counsel told Haruna that Evans never identified Aduba (sixth defendant) as a participant in the kidnap of Dunu.

Responding, 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.”

Following the cross-examination, the prosecution closed its case against Evans and his five co-defendants.

Earlier, while being led in evidence by Adebayo Haroum, the state prosecutor, Haruna had explained how Evans spent the ransoms he allegedly received from his victims.

“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 said.

“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. “