ON June 10, Lagos residents woke up to the news of the arrest of Chukwudi Dumeme Onuamadike a.k.a. Evans, the suspected leader of a notorious robbery and kidnapping gang that had tormented the nation for close to a decade. His arrest was effected in Magodo, a highbrow Lagos estate, after a reported gun battle with security operatives in his massive building located in the heart of the estate.
Like most residents of the serene estate, Evans lived in a mansion believed to have been built with the proceeds of his ungodly business. He was accorded all the respect due to every landlord in the estate, especially people like him who built and live in eye popping mansions.
Residents said he paid his residents’ association dues as and when due, and attended the association’s meetings at various times without his neighbours knowing that they were wining and dining with an alleged die-hard criminal.
Our correspondent gathered that his scary confessions after his arrest about how he smartly carried out his criminal activities and forced his victims to cough out millions of dollars sent shivers down the spines of the other residents of the estate.
The uproar that occasioned Evans’ arrest had hardly died down when reports of the arrest Chief Yusuf Ogundare, a community leader based on the estate, who was accused of arranging his own abduction, made the headlines. Ogundare reportedly plotted his own kidnap by conspiring with some members of his family to frame a rival chief for his disappearance.
His brother, Mohammed Adams, who the police paraded with him after they were arrested, had reported Ogundare missing, saying that both of them were kidnapped by people who wanted to sell land to the rival chief in question.
The incident drew the ire of the Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, who promptly announced Ogundare’s dethronement as the Baale (leader) of Shangisha community in the state. The governor had described the incident as “an embarrassment to the state.”
Magodo’s image received yet another blow on Tuesday with reports in the news media that another landlord in the estate had been arrested in respect of the killing of four members of a family in Oke Ota community, Ibeshe, Ikorodu by the deadly cult group called Badoo.
The said landlord, who owns an exotic mansion on the estate was accused to be working with the group and was consequently arrested along with two others. While his arrest led to the discovery of a shrine believed to belong to the cult group, the man in question has since denied having anything to do with the group. The shrine in question, he said, was inherited from his father.
Although he has since been let off by the police apparently for want of evidence against him, his touted arrest and those of Evans and Ogundare has taken a toll on the psyche of many residents of the estate.
His security guard expressed his frustration at the news of his boss’ arrest when our correspondent visited his home on Wednesday, saying that the people in the neighbouhood have been looking at him strangely since the news of his boss’ arrest broke.
He said: “People have been looking at me strangely since the news broke. People have been coming to take pictures of the house. Heavily armed policemen came to search the house on two occasions but they found nothing incriminating.
“I wasn’t scared when they came because I know that my boss is innocent. Some of the policemen were fellow Hausa. When they arrived here, they told me in Hausa that I was safe and therefore should not panic.
“When they whisked my boss away, I had no fear that he would not return. I had the conviction that he would be released. But I felt perturbed by the humiliation that he was going through. That was about the only thing that gave me concern.”
The guard expressed his loyalty to his embattled boss, regaling our correspondent with how kind and harmless his boss had been since he started working with him 10 years ago.
He said: “I was working as a security guard in another place when a friend directed me to him because he needed a security man. I took up the job and have been with him for the past 10 years.
“My boss does not relate with me as a security man. He treats me like his own child. I have always been happy working with him. He is innocent. They just wanted to rubbish him. I know his family and they used to come here.”
A neighbour of the suspect, who spoke with our correspondent, said he was in shock when he read that someone who lived very close to him had been linked with the ownership of a shrine that had to do with a cult group that has killed so many people in Ikorodu area of the state.
He said: “I am shocked by that news. Although our neighbour has denied having anything to do with the cult group, I am perplexed that he owned up to being the owner of that secret shrine we saw. I thought we are all professionals and people who are elevated beyond what we are hearing and seeing now.
“If this issue had not come to the open, would anybody have known that he has that kind of shrine? If it wasn’t a thing that was shrouded in deep secrecy, some people should have known about it and it wouldn’t have been news.
“The location of the shrine and our neighbour’s residence in this estate also reminds me of the operations of Evans who has a house here but carries out his nefarious activities in a remote part of Igando. I am frightened because I don’t know who is who again. If one had mistakenly offended that kind of man, he would have settled the person’s case at the shrine.”
Residents live in fear
Magodo Estate enjoys a reputation as the abode of wealthy and upwardly mobile business executive on Lagos Mainland. For many well-to-do people, Magodo is the place to live, as it compares in staus with other highbrow parts of Lagos, like Vitoria Island, Lekki and Ikoyi, all on the Lagos Island.
However, recent developments on the estate have caused many to wonder if it is not changing from the haven of the rich to the den of criminals. In the last two months, the estate has been making the headlines for the wrong reasons.
Findings made by our correspondent in the estate showed that there was widespread fear among the residents, provoked by reports of involvement of members of in criminal activities ranging from kidnapping to robbery and ritual killing.
Many of the worried residents would not be drawn into discussing reported unholy activities of their counterparts. “I feel concerned about what is happening, but I am sorry, I can’t speak with the media. The situation is worrisome and one does not know who is watching. Please, excuse me,” a frightened resident said.
But another resident, who identified himself simply as George, said: “It was in places like Mushin, Ajegunle and others that we used to hear this kind of odd stories. I find it hard to believe that it is happening here in this manner. Initially it was the case of Evans and now it is that of a resident owning a secret shrine and being linked with a killer cult group. Is it not sickening that such questionable characters are among us in a place where we claim to be highly civilised and sophisticated? If we already have two cases, there would definitely be more.
“I don’t trust anybody again. I have begun to relate with people with suspicion and serious doubts. Now you don’t only avoid living flamboyantly to avoid being kidnapped or set up to be kidnapped by your next door neighbour, you must also avoid fighting anybody because you don’t know what he does in the secret.”
Also speaking, a resident who gave his name as Biyi said many buildings in different parts of the estate had been put up for rent as their occupants have started fleeing their homes.
He said: “Bad elements in the society have infiltrated the estate and giving it a bad name. Before now, if you told anyone that you lived in Magodo, they looked at you with envy. But that is fast changing. Magodo is now synonymous with kidnapping and other unholy activities, making innocent residents to be apprehensive. When you mention Magodo now, people say ‘oh, the place where Evans lived and was arrested?’
“Some people came to reside here because they had the conviction that it is a place that would be inhabited by respectable people, but the case of Evans shocked and disappointed them. Now you have another scandal. This is making people to flee because their trust has been breached.
“If you go round, you will see many houses with ‘to let’ banner. It is also not impossible that criminal elements like Evans would be among those fleeing since they now know that they could be smoked out soon.”
Recalling the mood of the estate when security operatives went to arrest Evans, Temi, a resident, said: “The whole estate was paralysed the day security operatives came to arrest him. Sounds of gunshots reverberated and shook the whole estate to its foundation. A neighbour of Evans even slumped when she heard that he was a suspect of such crime. How do you come to terms with the fact that somebody who lives beside you, somebody that you see once in a while and exchange pleasantries with has such dossier of criminal life?
“My concern is that there are many buildings without anybody inhabiting them. What you only see once in a while are few people strolling in at odd hours. I believe that more criminal elements are using the estate as a hideout like Evans did.
“If it is possible, security agents should obtain warrants to search all those houses to rid the estate of criminal elements. I even learnt that some houses have underground buildings, which you and I know are always used for shady deals. I would not be surprised if a search is conducted and human skulls are found in some of the houses.”
Checks by The Nation revealed that after the arrest of Evans, the management of the estate began to collate the data of every resident in the estate to ascertain their means of livelihood.
A business owner, who gave his name as Tony, said: “The case of Evans jolted the estate’s managers who never envisaged that such a character could have a house here. They started gathering residents’ data to be sure of who is who and who is doing what.
“I can’t count the number of officials from the estate who have stormed my premises to know the kind of business we are into. Some even came to say that we were always running our generator like Evans without anybody knowing what we were doing. At some point, we had to show them our certificate of incorporation to allay their fears.
“I know quite right that security has been beefed up in the estate because of these disturbing issues, but more needs to be done. When you begin to experience the kind of happenings associated with ghetto people in a place like this, then you know that water has entered into the snail from somewhere, and it is not good for the innocent and peace loving residents.”
When our correspondent visited the residents’ association’s office to get their comments on the developments on the estate, one of the workers instructed that a letter should be written before the head of the association would comment.
Upon our correspondent’s insistence, the worker directed him to his colleague who identified herself simply as Ochuko. She said she would convey the message to the chairman and would get back, but she had not done so at press time.
When our correspondent called her on Thursday, she said: “I am yet to get a feedback. The chairman said he was going to get somebody to get back to me, but he hasn’t given me a feedback.
When our correspondent called a mobile number eventually provided by Ochuko the respondent said he was in a meeting.
In a telephone chat with The Nation, a retired Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, said: “If you follow the history of this country, many of the people who live flamboyant lifestyles got their wealth through criminal activities. A lot of them make their money by fraudulent means and live in areas where they would not be suspected.
“Unfortunately, we have a police force that see people developing into such level of criminals but do not care. They wait until such people become monsters before they begin to chase them around. They are supposed to be highly suspicious of everybody. They are supposed to be spying on everybody to know what he or she is doing for a living.
“When you see anybody going about with police escort, you need to watch that person. Here, you have people who are not government officials having police escorts. It is unfortunate. I cannot completely blame the police, because they are short of manpower.”
Advising the estate’s managers, Tsav said: “The estate’s management should try and secure the services of plain clothe policemen to patrol the place to know the kind of people living there. They should also make it a policy that any resident coming in late should be thoroughly searched, no matter who he is.”
PHOTO: ISAAC JIMOH AYODELE
