What’s the update on Wadume and Evans’ trials?

In 2019, Nigerians woke up to a horror story of how Hamisu Wadume, an alleged high-profile kidnap kingpin in Taraba state, was set free allegedly by military officers in the state.

Wadume was being transported to Abuja on August 6 after his initial arrest by police officers on a covert operation before being attacked by troops of 93 Battalion based in Takum, Taraba state.

The attack led to the death of three officers including a civilian while Wadume was set free by the soldiers.

You will be forgiven to think you are reading a script from a Nollywood movie. Three of Nigeria’s finest police officers were killed; men involved in busting high-profile kidnap cases.

The deceased officers were Inspector Mark Ediale, Sergeant Usman Danzumi, and Sergeant Dahiru Musa.

The force disclosed that the trio was part of the team responsible for the high-profile arrest of notorious kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, also known as Evans, in 2017.

They also contributed to the rescue of Musa Umar Uba, an in-law of President Muhammadu Buhari, who was in captivity for two months.

They were also part of the teams that arrested Umar Abdulmalik Overall, a Boko Haram commander, as well as 22 Boko Haram terrorists responsible for the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno.

The incident led to bad blood between the army and police and once again brought to the fore the argument about inter-agency rivalry among the security agencies in the country.

However, Wadume was rearrested by the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team in the late hours of Monday, August 19, 2019, in his hideout at Layin Mai Allo Hotoro area of Kano state.

The defence panel that was set up to investigate the matter had since released its reports.

The panel found that both the police and military were responsible for the incident.

The Defence Headquarters in a statement said the panel submitted its findings and linked the deadly confrontation to a breakdown in communication between the police team that went on an operation in Taraba State and the soldiers manning a checkpoint in the state.

The panel recommended additional investigation of Messrs Balarabe and Bala, four police officers, and the divisional crime officer in Ibi, Taraba, to establish their involvement in the fatal incident before prosecution.

The question right now is where is Wadume? The last I heard was that he will begin his defense in court on May 18 this year. We hope the matter is not being swept under the carpet and with the killing of top policemen, I don’t think the police should let go of the matter.

Similarly, Wadume’s nefarious cousin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, also known as Evans, is still in custody and it seems his case has taken a back seat.

Let me refresh some people’s memory on the activities of Evans who was a billionaire kidnapper who was allegedly collecting ransom in foreign currencies. Most of the high-profile kidnappings in the south-east and Lagos were linked to him.

After singing like a canary and giving exploits of his activities, Evans recanted and said he was a businessman and not a kidnapper.

Sadly, the activities of bandits have relegated the trials of Wadume and Evans.

I believe we shouldn’t wait for 5 to 10 years to conclude their trials. I strongly believe that cases of kidnapping, banditry, terrorism should be given speedy trials to serve as a deterrent. Right now, most Nigerians can’t point to successful trials of bandits, kidnappers, or Boko Haram insurgents. All we hear about is amnesty or rehabilitation.

I just hope we will not start seeing campaigns for amnesty or rehabilitation for Wadume and Evans.