BY FOLASHADE OTITODUN
Four years after his arrest by the police, the Lagos houses owned by kidnap kingpin, Evans, are deserted.
The houses are located in Magodo Estate.
Evans, whose real name is Chukwudi Dumeme Onuamadike, lived at No.3, Fred Shoboyede Street, Magogo GRA (Phase 2).
His mansion is part of the three on the first plot on the street.
Visits by The Point to the Magodo mansion of the embattled kidnap kingpin, yielded no results, as security operatives prevented anyone from gaining access.
However, neighbours who craved anonymity said no one stays in the compound.
It was gathered that neighbours often keep the surroundings clean.
On June 11, 2017, more than 20 security operatives had stormed the Fred Shoboyejo home of the alleged vicious kidnapper and robber, less than a month after the police announced a N30 million bounty in return for information leading to his arrest.
For at least seven years, Evans was alleged to have coordinated bank robberies across Oyo, Port Harcourt and Abia, as well as numerous high-profile kidnaps whose ransoms amount to hundreds of millions of naira.
On that Saturday morning, utilising months of information gathering and fresh tips, the usual quiet ambience of Magodo GRA Phase 2 was interrupted by gunshots as security manned the Y-crescent zone where Evans lived.
The police described Evans, a native of Nnewi, as “ the vicious leader of a highly organised kidnap-for-ransom syndicate and criminal gang terrorising and responsible for several kidnap of notable/prominent Nigerians in Lagos State, including the Western, Eastern, South-South and some Northern States.”
“He has his gangs active and spread across these mentioned states,” the police said.
After his arrest, some residents of Magodo gave accounts of what they knew about the lifestyle of the kidnap kingpin.
A close neighbour of his (names withheld) had said that he was yet to recover from the shock of realising that he had lived so closely with Nigeria’s most-wanted kidnapper.
He recalled that he and Evans used to have their haircut at the same barbing salon at Shangisha, very close to the Mama Cass eatery.
It was learnt that he usually paid the same amount for the haircut in order to take any attention of affluence away from him.
He was also said to be a regular face at the bar sharing a fence with the salon, with those who sat around him before claiming that he never exceeded two bottles of beer at any given drinking session.
“He (Evans) is well known around here and it is a big surprise that he was wanted by police for close to four years,” a neighbour said, while raising the suspicion of collusion, either with certain persons within Magodo who allegedly kept watch for him, or within the security system.
However, cab hire operators around Magodo and Shangisha were said to have been the biggest beneficiaries of his generosity.
“The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, on August 12, 2021, dismissed an appeal filed by the alleged kidnap kingpin, challenging the judgement of Justice Hadizat Rabiu-Shagari of the Federal High Court in Lagos
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Regardless of the distance, he reportedly paid a high amount, making him very popular among them.
Whenever he was done with barbing his hair or taking his beer, he would, according to those who knew him, pick a cab to his Fred Shoboyede home, a distance of less than 10 minutes, for a high amount of money.
One rule, however, was that he never allowed any cab operator to take him to his house.
One of his neighbours said “he always disembarks from the taxi in our area and would walk home.”
It was also learnt that cars were rarely seen in his compound, with a shouting distance neighbour disclosing that “cars had never been parked in his home, which we now believe was to ensure he wasn’t being trailed and avoid being trailed at all through car registration.
“He wasn’t using government electricity. His noiseless generator was always on, every minute of the day,” another neighbour said.
He was also said to be very popular in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he had choice houses and other properties in many parts of the state.
The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, on August 12, 2021, dismissed an appeal filed by the alleged kidnap kingpin, challenging the judgement of Justice Hadizat Rabiu-Shagari of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
Evans had through his lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje, in suit number: FHC/L/CS/1515/17, accused the Inspector General of Police and four others of unlawfully seizing his 25 trucks and converting them to their own.
But Justice Rabiu-Shagari in his judgement delivered on April 19, 2019, dismissed Evans’ suit for lacking in merit.
Dissatisfied, he, through his lawyer, Ogungbeje, approached the Appeal Court in an appeal number: CA/L/1105/2018, and urged the court to set aside the judgement.
Delivering the judgment on the appeal, Justice Joseph Ikyegh (presiding) held that there was a search warrant issued and executed in line with Section 144 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of Nigeria, 2015, empowering the police to recover the trucks.
The appellate court further held that Section 153 of Administration of Criminal Justice of Nigeria 2015 permits the police to retain proceeds of crime until the case is disposed of.
The court held that these Sections are in line with Section 44(1)(k) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), which permits the temporary seizure of property for the purpose of investigation or for restitution.
Consequently, Justice Ikyegh upheld the decision of the lower court and dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit.