Kidnap kingpin Chukwudi Onuamadike, also known as Evans, was arrested in 2006 for bank robbery, police source revealed on Sunday.
It was gathered that Evans and his robbery gang in 2006 attacked a commercial bank in Lagos and went somewhere around the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, to share the loot.
It was also gathered that while sharing the loot, the robbers had a disagreement and shot one another. Seven members of the gang died instantly.
”The then Divisional Police Officer of Iponri Police Station, Yahaya Bello, now a deputy commissioner of police, said there was a serious incident involving some persons who shot at one another. He said about three of them had been arrested
”One of the members of the gang arrested then was Chukwudi Onuamadike, popularly known as Evans. If you look at his chest, I cannot remember whether it is the right or left side, there is a scar. It was as a result of the gunshot from his gang members that day.
”There was a policewoman at the Band Section of the Police College, Lagos. She was known as Tina, a Superintendent of Police. She insisted that we should drop the case and that Onuamadike (Evans) was her brother.
”But when she was unable to achieve her aim, she travelled to Imo State. Not long after, we got a message from the Imo State Police Command that they had been searching for Evans and asked us to transfer the case to them so they could continue from where we stopped. Since that time, we did not hear anything. We heard he was later released there,” the source told the Police investigating Evans.
The source noted that after he saw Evans’ pictures, he knew that he was the man they arrested alongside members of his gang in 2006, stressing, however, that Evans was not bearing the alias, Evans, at the time.
”The best way to handle his case is for the police to do their work. They should do a proper investigation. If it will take four months to investigate him, they should do so. He has links in South Africa, Ghana, etc.
”I know him. Bank robbery and hijacking of bullion vans was easy for him and his gang members. He did not hesitate to shoot any member of his gang suspected of foul play,” the source added.
The News Agency of Nigeria further gathered from the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team that Evans confirmed all the incidents alleged by the police source.