Evans Collected N100m To Release My Brother, Witness Tells Court
A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of alleged kidnapping kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, alias Evans on Friday narrated how his younger brother was kidnapped and was not released until the family paid a ransom of N100m to the accused person.
The witness, Anselem Dunu, the elder brother of the Chief Executive Officer of Maydon Pharmaceutical Limited, Donatus Dunu, who was kidnapped sometime in February this year was testifying before the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja.
Dunu claimed that the N100m was changed to €223,000, which was the currency that the kidnappers demanded.
The Lagos State government is prosecuting Evans, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, Uche Amadi, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Aduba before the court on two counts of conspiracy and kidnapping.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charge.
While being led in evidence by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, Ms. Titilayo Shitta-Bay, Dunu identified the defendants in the dock.
The witness said he recognised the fourth defendant, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, whom he had always known, and then Evans, whom he met later during investigation by the police.
In his testimony, the first prosecution witness gave a blow-by-blow account of the harrowing experience that the family went through when Donatus, was kidnapped and how they struggled to raise N100m to secure his release.
Dunu stated after the kidnapping, the hoodlums did not make contact with the family till about two weeks after, when he a call, from a hidden number, came through on his mobile phone.
He further alleged that on picking the call, it was Donatus’ agitated voice that he heard, pleading that the family should immediately go and withdraw all the funds in his bank account and deliver same to the kidnappers, to prevent them from taking his life.
Dunu also disclosed that the kidnappers insisted on a ransom of €1m, but the family could only raise N100m, which was converted to €223,000 and delivered to them.
The witness claimed that a young man, Uchenna Okafor, took the money that was packaged in cellophane bags in a Honda car and headed towards Oshodi at about 7.45pm on the agreed date as instructed by the kidnappers.
He also maintained that Okafor did not return until about 11pm on the said date, adding that it was not until about two weeks after then that he got the news of Donatus’ release.
Dunu testified that on seeing his brother, the victim “looked terribly emaciated; he had not shaved for a long time and he looked just like the early man.”
Earlier before trial commenced, the trial judge, Justice Hakeem Oshodi dismissed the preliminary objections filed by Evans, Amadi and Ifeanyi challenging the competence of the charges.
Justice Oshodi in three separate rulings, held that the defendants’ objections are misconceived, an abuse of Court process and dismissed them.
Justice Oshodi adjourned till November 17 for Anselem’s cross-examination by the defence.
Also during Friday’s proceedings, Justice Oshodi heard an application, seeking the release of the third defendant on bail on health grounds and adjourned till November 17 for ruling.
Although counsel to Evans, Olukoya Ogungbeje, infirmed the judge that he had also filed an application for Evans to be released on bail, but the judge did not hear it.
