Nigeria’s Most Wanted Kidnapper Remains Elusive

Like a ghost, he disappears and re­appears. For over five years, he has remained the prime target of the Police. But the more they hunthim, the more elusive he becomes or so it seems. Welcome to the world of Evans, ostensibly Nigeria’s most wanted kidnapper who raked in over N2 billion from payment of ransom for his wealthy victims last year alone. His list of victims is endless.

One of them is Sir James Uzo­chukwu Uduji, the Chairman of Comet Star Manufacturing Com­pany, who spent six weeks in cap­tivity before met the gang’s ransom demand. It was therefore, a weak but joyous Uduji who welcomed guests that trooped into his resi­dence at Festac Town, Lagos on October 25, last year. Looking trau­matized, Udiji welcomed family members, wellwishers and friends who came to celebrate his safe re­turn from the den of kidnappers.

Udoji was abducted by unknown gunmen in front of his residence at 7th Avenue, Festac Town, Lagos on September 7, 2015. He was re­leased after six weeks in captivity. His abductors were said to have laid ambush for him at 72nd Junc­tion along 7th Avenue at a bad portion of the road, close to his residence. The hoodlums shot the driver and drove off with Uduji to an unknown destination.

Though he vehemently refused to mention the amount that was paid to his captors, he however, maintained that “their demands were met.” He gave this piece of advice to anybody who falls victim of kidnapping to cooperate with their abductors instead of risking their precious lives which cannot be bought with money.

Uduji’s abduction went viral when the amount requested as ran­som became knowledge of the me­dia. His abductors had requested for $1million US dollars which naira value was put at N220 million as at the time he was being held. The delay in his release forced his friends and associates to cry out and highlighted several others who were quietly picked up that paid heavily for their freedom.

Findings revealed that the police authority is aware of the brain be­hind the repeated, well co-ordinat­ed kidnapping cases in Festac and Amuwo Odofin that became com­mon in 2015.

His name is Evans, one of the richest men in Nigeria but at the moment, the most wanted kidnap­per in the country. His criminal outreach and operational methods have so far dwarfed security agen­cies. In the police circle, as soon as news of high profile kidnap in La­gos is reported, they would simply scream “Evans, Oh Evans.”

The man Evans

An indigene of Anambra State, Evans as he is known by his as­sociates became more involved in criminality, shortly after he was re­leased from prison in 2011.

Some of his colleagues who were arrested by the Police, re­called the moments they shared with him while he was in Anam­bra prison. According to them, he was always exchanging notes with other inmates on how they were ar­rested while he plotted his return.

He made contacts and as soon as he was granted bail, Evans jumped bail and joined a gang in Anam­bra. He grew in ranks, and made a lot of money until he was able to form his own gang. He widened his reach between Lagos and Anambra States and at the end of each opera­tion, travel to Ghana till the Police stops searching for him.

Severally, he had relocated to Ghana when Anambra, his home state became too hot for him to operate. Government and the Po­lice in Anambra State were said to have launched a manhunt for him and one of his colleagues, known as Hutch-man, when their activi­ties became too unbearable. Their buildings were destroyed and their relatives were ostracised in the so­ciety.

While in Ghana, Evans and Hutch-man formed a new gang in Lagos with three others. Their modus operandi was to sneek into the country quietly, carry out some kidnappings and disappear into thin air.

No one noticed his activities un­til in 2013 after a prominent trans­porter, Chief Vincent Obianodo, the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of The Young Shall Grow Motors narrowly escaped death when his convoy was attacked by some gun­men in Festac Town. The police ar­rested some suspects who revealed the motive behind the attack.

During interrogation, the sus­pects disclosed that the attack on Chief Obianodo which many specu­lated was an assassination attempt was actually, an attempted kidnap which was foiled by his police guards.

They had expected the policemen guarding Obianodo to run for cover when they accosted them and opened fire on his convoy. Surprisingly, a po­liceman guarding him put up a fight and engaged the kidnappers in a shoot-out, killing two on the spot while one other died before they fled.

Men of the Federal Special Anti- Robbery Squad, FSARS, Adeniji Adele, Lagos, was directed to do a thorough investigation but that did not deter Evans from regrouping and kid­napping high profile persons in Lagos and Anambra state.

Evans, after the death of Hutch-man and several members of his gang, suc­ceeded in forming a new but highly sophisticated gang, which has success­fully coordinated several high profile kidnappings in Lagos and other parts of the country, collecting ransoms in hundreds of millions of naira. Most of his victims are said to be prominent citizens and business executives based in Lagos. They are usually warned not to report the case to the police upon their release. That was why most of the cases were not reported to the police for fear of reprisal by Evans and his deadly gang.

Police sources described Evans as the most notorious kidnapper operating in Lagos at the moment, stating that he has over 20 boys working for.

Investigations further revealed that Evans has criminally perfected the art of using the teeming unemployed youths and apprentices as hit men. They have also co-opted some members of cult groups both within and outside Festac into their gang and are handsomely re­warded from the proceeds of their oper­ations. Their operational strategies, ac­cording to investigations involve, first, identifying possible victims who must be a wealthy businessman and those about to make huge money from their business transactions. Their victims have their business interests mostly at the popular Alaba International market or Trade Fair complex where billions of naira in local and foreign currencies exchange hands daily.

Apprentice members of the vicious gang are saddled with the task of fish­ing out such victims and identifying the depth of their pockets. The boys also trail them with a view to having full knowledge of not only their residence and members of their families, but their social outings.

Once they complete the monitoring, members of the gang will then swing into action with a master plan cleverly drafted by their leader who they ad­dress as ‘my lord’

It was also revealed that the gang has updated addresses of their victims and would be victims. Security sources hinted that some members of the gang arrested by the police and charged to court confirmed that they have names of almost all the businessmen at Alaba International Market and trade fair complex, together with that of mem­bers of their families.

At the moment, no one knows Ev­ans’ whereabouts because he has plenty of cash and can easily move in and out of the country. He is so smart that none of his gang members that were arrested has information about him except that his name is Evans and they refer to him as ‘my lord’ while they are not allowed to know much about him.

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