Emmanuel Thomas l Friday, November 03, 2017
IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – A witness, Mr. Dunu Anselm today testified before an Ikeja High Court, how he and struggled to raise N100 million for Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike alias Evans in other to retrieve his brother Dunu Donatus from the den of kidnappers.
He was testifying before Justice Hakeem Oshodi of an Ikeja High Court in a case instituted against Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike alias Evans and five others by the Lagos State Government.
Dunu Anselm said on the 14th of February at night, he got a call.
“I got a call from my younger brother Dunu Innocent telling me that our brother Dunu Donatus has been kidnapped. We agreed to meet at Donatus office in ilupeju, by the time I got there, police men from the ilupeju police station were there already and we went to their station together where we filed the case and were referred to the anti-kidnapping squad, CID Panti annex Surulere.
“We were asked to wait for a call if it truly was a kidnap case and his body would be found if it was a case of hired assassin. After four days, I was told by the CSP in charge of the squad that he suspects that this is not an ordinary kidnap case but that he suspects it to be the work of Evans. I asked who Evans was and was told he is a notorious kidnapper and that they have been on his trail for about 6 years now and if it is the case I should be strong because the money they would request would make me faint.
“After over 2 weeks I got a call from a private number and I heard the voice of my brother. He asked me to help him close his account and give the money to the people calling me. I told him that’s impossible since am not a signatory to his account. He became agitated and asked me to look for a way to make it possible.
“About three days later, I got a call again and my brother asked me to look for the money if I can’t access his account. Two days later my brother called me agitating for money again, this time he told me to go and look for N100 million that its the amount of money that would get him out, asking if I preferred him dead. Me and my younger brother could only pull N20 million and I told my brother this when they called the following day and that was when a voice told me ‘my friend we are not joking here, you must go and get 1 million Euro and I pleaded that I didnt have that money. Another voice came on and started cursing me, that was when I heard my brother begging that they should stop beating him that they should not beat him again.
“After two days, they called and I told them we had only gathered N50 million and the voice said I was not serious and that my crocodile tears will not save me and the second voice started raining curses at me again.
“All this point I was still going back to the anti – kidnapping squad telling them what am going through and the CSP said he had warned me earlier that if it was Evans the ransom would be high and asked me to be strong. When they called again I told them that we had raised N60 million and that is our limit. The voice that always abuse me came on and said shebi na you go bring this money, let me see how you are going to go back alive after this money. I told him am elderly and that someone younger would bring the money and he said it must be me.
“When he called I told him we have reached the 100 million target, he said he is not interested in 100 million but we should get 1 million Euro. I told him we are going to exchange this money whenever he wanted to collect it to euro. He asked how much it was in Euro and I said 223, 000 Euro.
“On the 12th of April, he called in the afternoon and said he would call in the evening on how to get the money. By 6pm me, my brother Innocent Dunu and another relation Uchenna Okeagu a staff at Meydon Pharmaceutical met and arranged the money in a cellophane bag heavily taped by 7:45pm he called asking that we make sure the car coming has full tank and the person coming held my phone for communication.
He asked for the make of the car and we said it is a Honda. Uchenna left with the money and came back around past 11 and said he has delivered the money.
“I didn’t hear from them or my brother until a cousin Jude called me sometime in May that my brother has been found and is at Igando Police Station. I called my younger brother Innocent and asked him to get police from Ilupeju to follow us because we were scared its a trap. On our way Jude called and said its now the Divisional Headquarters at Shangisha. I saw my brother there and he looked emanciated and unkept like an early man (cave man). We went to surulere and we gave our statements.
“Abba Keyria called me sometime later that the person that gave Evans my brother’s information has been arrested asking if I wanted to see the person. He made arrangements and they brought the man who they called baba eko and it turned out to be Chuks Nwachukwu my friend for a long time whom I know as Congo. He apologised profusely to me saying it was greed and Devil’s work.
“Few weeks later we were called that they will take me Donatus Dunu and Uchenna to a place and when we got there I saw it was the Inspector General’s lodge. They brought someone they called Evans, that was my first time of seeing him. They asked him how he got my brother and he said one of his boys bought medicine with a Meydon Pharmaceutical pack and he decided to investigate him and that is when he got information from Chuks Nwachukwu saying that he only picked Meydon Pharmaceutical out of choice and nothing more. He apologised to my brother in my presence saying it was Devil’s work”, he said.
But Evans’ counsel, Olukoya Ogungbeje asked for more time to put together the testimony so the witness can be properly cross examined.
Ogungbeje asked for an adjournment and the case was adjourned to the 17th of November around 11pm for continuation of trial and cross examination putting into consideration security concerns.
