The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Victims

  • Chevron donates $500,000 to California fire victims

    Chevron donates $500,000 to California fire victims

    Chevron has donated $500,000 to the American Red Cross in support of  vitims of the wildfires in Northern and Southern California.

    “We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and the devastation caused by the wildfires in our home state,” said Mike Wirth, vice chairman, Chevron.

    “Our thoughts are with all those affected by the fires and the first responders working to contain them.”

    “Based in California for over a century, Chevron is committed to working with local communities as they recover from the fires.

    The oil gaint said it would match any donations made to wildfire relief efforts by its employees and retirees.

  • Dangote committee donates N250m to victims

    Dangote committee donates N250m to victims

    The Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation, headed by Aliko Dangote, has provided N250million as relief assistance to flood victims in Benue State.

    In response to a request by the state government, the committee has approved the release of one Internally Displaced Person (IDP) hostel, completed by the committee in the state, to provide temporary shelter for displaced persons.

    More than 110,000 persons in 24 communities, including Makurdi, have been displaced by flood.

    The Executive Secretary of State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr. Boniface Ortese, said over 2,769 households were affected.

    He said places affected included Achusa, Idye, Wurukum Market, Genabe, Industrial Layout, Demekpe, Wadata Market, Katungu, behind the Civil Service Commission, Agboughul-Wadata, among others, in Makurdi.

    “In Achusa, 200 houses were affected, with 5,125 persons displaced. In Idye, 217 houses, with 5,200 persons displaced. Behind the Civil Service Commission, 200 houses were submerged and 5,777 persons were displaced.”

  • Shock, deaths stalk victims of Benue flood

    Shock, deaths stalk victims of Benue flood

    After surviving a prolonged deadly attack unleashed on them by blood-thirsty herdsmen last year, the people of Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, who are mostly farmers, last weekend suffered another devastating blow in the hands of nature following the destruction of their farms and houses by flood. INNOCENT DURU, who spoke with some of the victims, reports that some of them have begun to suffer shock and dying as a result of the incident.

    IT was double tragedy for many families in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State last weekend after the calamitous flood incident that ravaged many farmlands and submerged many houses. The rampaging flood left thousands of the natives homeless and   destroyed farm produce that were almost ready for harvesting.

    But that was not all. The Nation gathered that  some of the victims have begun to suffer shock and dying as a result of the incident, which came shortly after the people lost their beloved ones and valuables to the terror unleashed on them by herdsmen.

    One of such families that suffered double tragedy over the weekend was the Ochohepos from Aila area of the local government. The breadwinner of the family, according to the daughter, suffered shock, collapsed and died after seeing all he laboured for destroyed by the flood.

    The deceased’s daughter, who gave her name as Mary, told The Nation that our father was devastated last year after  his house was burnt down by the herdsmen and had his state of mind compounded last weekend by the flood incident which robbed him of his basic means of livelihood.

    Her words: “My dad collapsed and died last week after the incident. He died of shock. We took him to the hospital and did all we could, but he didn’t survive. He lost his house last year and lost all he laboured for this year. This made the shock too difficult for him to bear and that resulted in his death. The flood affected our farms badly.

    “Our house was burnt down during the herdsmen-farmers crisis. After the herdsmen burnt our house, we camped in Ugboko in Apa Local Government. We later returned to Aila. I also totally became hopeless after the flood destroyed our farm. Now, we are homeless and foodless, let me put it that way.”

    Speaking in emotion laden voice, Mary hinted: “We are supposed to harvest the produce later in the year but there is a variety of rice we are supposed to harvest this month. They are all gone. My late father had about eight hectares; my mother has about four hectares and I have three hectares. What to eat now is a huge problem. If we are able to get equipment to help us enlarge our farm produce, we would be happy.”

    Pa Christian, a 75-year-old, also lost his life after the incident. One of his son’s, Oloche, said: “I lost my father on Tuesday. He was sick and when we took him to the hospital, he couldn’t make it. The flood affected many places here. I lost a lot. We lost a lot of things during the herdsmen attack and now flood came again and brought down our houses.

    “We have buried my late father in our house that was affected by the flood. We couldn’t bury him in the Catholic cemetery because the place is flooded. This is why we managed to bury him in the house. We need a lot of assistance. We don’t have a place to live. We are staying with somebody. Going back to our house depends on God.”

    A victim who hails from Abugbe, Emmanuel Adagedo, described the flood incident as terrible, regretting that he has lost everything he toiled for since the beginning of the year.

    Reliving his experience, one of the victims, Alhaji Odho, who hails from Abugbe, said the flood incident was so severe that most of them have found it difficult to cope. “Our buildings were built with burnt bricks and therefore were not so badly affected by the flood but our farms were wiped off. I lost everything   that I planted on the farm. My rice farm is about 10 hectares. Yam is about three hectares. We were planning to harvest the rice between December and January but with the situation of things now, I don’t think we can get anything from the farm anymore. Everything is lost. It is the survival of the fittest for most of us now as we depend only on God for help. I have been relying on people to take care of my family and as things stand now, there is no hope for the coming planting season.”

    Odho feared that the affected communities would experience food scarcity because of the huge loss they suffered. “There would certainly be food shortage in this area next year. Even as I speak to you now, there is nothing on the ground. If I can get someone to give me a loan to start all over again, I would be very happy. We would so much appreciate if the government could be of help to us. There is no IDP camp here.”

    Another victim, Emmanuel Adegedo said: “The rain has been falling regularly except for the past two days. The flood destroyed the FADAMA farms. There is no hope of getting farm produce this year, most especially in the swampy area where we planted rice. The farm is expansive and our primary occupation is farming.

    “I was in my house when the flood was coming. The community shares boundary with River Benue. We are by the river bank. Because of our experience in 2012, we quickly ran away when we saw the flood coming. We started evacuating the little children much earlier.

    “The flood didn’t pull down my house but it occupied the whole place; so we had to run away. I have moved my family to Gboko while I am in Oturpko. They are out of school no but immediately this challenge goes off, they would be returning to school.”

    He hinted that many of his colleagues have been finding it difficult to feed after the incident. “We have been managing the little we have on us but many people are finding it difficult to feed their families because their homes were massively destroyed. Many people didn’t take proactive steps when the signs were coming. They sat down thinking it would not happen. I saw it coming and started preparing much earlier for it.  With the rate the rain is falling, we don’t know when we would be returning to our homes.

    “I have decided not to go to IDP camp because of the way people are treated there. If there is any outbreak, it would be a problem. I don’t feel comfortable. Ahead of the next planting season, we would go to the communities that were not affected by the flood to get seedlings to plant but we are still looking up to the government for assistance.”

    Rueing his loss, a victim, Gideon Ogbole, said he has been relying on his relations to provide for his family. “I was at home when the flood started late in the evening on Saturday. It didn’t get to my house but it destroyed all that I had planted on my six–hectare farm.  I felt so bad when I saw the damage because I have nothing left.

    “We are only managing to feed from some relatives who were not affected. I go to their farms to work for them and at the end, they give me the little they can afford to feed my family.  That is how we have been managing to survive. There is no surplus money anywhere to take care of the family.  I am supposed to harvest the produce in two or three months’ time. I lost everything.”

    Ogbole despondently added: “I don’t have the means of starting all over again.  I need help to do this. But if help doesn’t come, I have to look round to source for money to start all over again. This is the only alternative. I will be happy if the government can help me to start all over again. There is no IDP camp in our area. We were told that they were planning to open one but that one of the facilitators died and they had taken his corpse home.”

    In a telephone chat with The Nation, the monarch of the embattled communities, HRH, Cletus Kukunu, tersely said: “The rain started last week and fell for about one week. The flood came overnight and swept many things away. It carried away animals, properties and damaged houses.”

    Efforts to get him speak further proved unsuccessful as he said he was in a meeting. He promised to return the call but he didn’t. Even when our correspondent called him much later, he maintained that he was still in a meeting.

    In another telephone chat with our correspondent, the Executive Director of Global Care for Kids Foundation, one of the non-governmental organisations providing relief materials for the victims, Linda Orokpo Ochagla, said: “We have been giving relief materials including cooked food to the children and women. I appeal to people that want to help. They contribute and I also do use my personal money too to buy things. Aside from us, there are many non-governmental organisations coming to help the victims. Bengonet, an NGO, is in charge of sharing the relief materials together with NEMA. Tuface was also around to give relief materials to the people.

    “Some people normally complain that food doesn’t get to them. So, whenever we take things there, I always stand there and see them share the items before I leave. I do this to make sure that the items get to everybody.”

    She added: “The flood destroyed a lot of things. As we speak, some people still have their cars inside the flood. They are waiting for the flood to subside before they can take the vehicles away. The problem here is that it has kept raining. Until the rain subsides, I don’t think there is anything they can do. But the government has started working on the water ways to prevent flood in the area.

    “The children cannot go to school. We are soliciting for volunteers who can be teaching the children for this period until they are able to go back to their houses. So far, we have got some people that have agreed.”

    To avert a re-occurrence of the incident, Ochagla said: “The government needs to make sure the water ways are functioning.  They need to demolish some structures built on wrong places. There is a place where they built a market and that is a wrong place for such. They need to shift the market to the right place so that the water ways can be free.

    “They need to clean the gutters because many of them are blocked with dirt. The level of hygiene in the IDP camp is okay but if they don’t leave the camp on time, there could be issues but for now there is no outbreak yet.”

  • FirstBank initiates fundraising for Sierra Leone flood victims

    FirstBank initiates fundraising for Sierra Leone flood victims

    FirstBank has initiated a fund-raising drive among its members of staff as part of the FirstBank Employee Volunteering Scheme, set up to provide humanitarian services to the bank’s host communities, including victims of mudslides and floods that devastated parts of Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown.

    The efforts allowed staff members to collectively give succour and hope to the needy and the funds gathered would complement the bank’s corporate donation to the victims of the disaster.

    The bank has also implored its customers and  the public to join it in  providing succour to victims of this tragedy. Accordingly, a special donations account has been set up and members of staff, customers and  the public can pay directly into the account:  FBN CSR Donations — 2032381764.

    The bank, according to a release, has remained unwavering in its commitment to doing business responsibly with individuals and corporate citizens, which include positively impacting the lives of its stakeholders and empowering its host communities.

    The Managing Director/CEO, First Bank of Nigeria Limited and Subsidiaries, Adesola Adeduntan, said the  bank would continue to uphold the citizenship approach, which includes considering the needs of its stakeholders and working to meet those needs in line with its corporate responsibility and sustainability strategy.

    The bank and its subsidiaries have identified and empathised with the victims of the mudslides and floods that devastated parts of Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown. The feat is part of its commitment to drive the sustainable development of the communities in which it does business.

  • Ekeh donates N50m to Owerri market demolition victims

    Chairman of Zinox Group, Chief Leo Stan Ekeh, has urged citizens of Imo State to allow peace to reign in the aftermath of the crisis and reported loss of lives which trailed the demolition of the Eke Ukwu market, unarguably the biggest market in the state.

    Ekeh, a native of Owerri, has announced a donation of N50 million to be disbursed to those directly affected in the market and families of the victims who unfortunately lost their lives. This, he hopes, will help cushion the effects of the demolition on their livelihood and calm the tense situation in Owerri, while also pleading with those affected not to allow themselves to be used to cause trouble in the state.

    According to the Head of Leo Stan Ekeh (LSE) Foundation – Mr. Niyi Onabanjo, Ekeh made it clear to the smart implementation committee already set up and headed by a man of integrity, Chief Ambrose Ejiogu, that all those directly affected, by definition, means those trading in the market, whether indigenes of Owerri, Orlu, Okigwe or from neighboring states.

    In addition to Chief Ejiogu (Chairman) and Dr. Vin Udokwu (Secretary), other members of the committee are Chief C.Y Amako, Prof. Obioma Iheduru, Chief Emeka Ekwebelem, Mrs. Chuks Ekemaru, Dr. Canice Nwosu, Sam Nwoke and Chief Analyn Nwaneri, among others.

    The committee’s mandate is to work with the leadership of the market association in identifying those affected for disbursement of the funds to them. This, he hopes, will be sorted out within two weeks and funds disbursed 21 days from today.

    Onabanjo hinted that Ekeh had two months ago awarded a multi-million Naira contract for a comprehensive refurbishment of a Practical Entrepreneurship Centre sited inside a market in Owerri which is slated for commissioning first week of November as a model.

    He believes if the model works, the Imo state government may replicate same in other regions for the benefit of her citizens.

    “Though a private initiative, I am sure he would have mentioned it to the State Governor. He intends to invite quality multinationals like Microsoft, Google, HP, IBM, Cisco, Facebook etc. to come and inspire Imo State youths so that they can see the bigger picture of the global wealth roadmap. As a promoter of knowledge democracy, he has been quietly assisting his state in the little ways he can,” he said.

  • Sokoto assists victims of Illela rainstorm

    Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal has directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to deliver relief materials to victims of rainstorm at Illela, Araba, Gati and surrounding villages in Illela Local Government Area.

    The Friday rainstorm destroyed houses, livestock and farm produce. Many were rendered homeless.

    A government delegation, led by the state chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Usman Danmadami, visited the affected villages to commiserate with victims.

    At the palace of the District Head of Illela, Danmadami said the government will work with local authorities to rehabilitate victims.

    The delegation presented cash to victims.

    The Wakilin Sarkin Rafin Illela, Alhaji Sahabi Isa, thanked the governor for his concern and prated God to reward him.

  • The age of social media

    When Diana, the late princess of wales, was involved in the fatal accident that claimed her life in France, a paparazzi trailing her did the unthinkable. Rather than help the dying princess and her friend, Dodi el Fayed, he started clicking away with his camera dreaming of the millions he will get from those photos. He approached several newspaper houses in a bid to sell the photos to them. Unknown to him, his millions vanished when editors started calling one another and agreed not to use the pictures so as to protect the dignity of the dead.

    Fast forward to the age of the social media and you’d definitely have a different ballgame altogether. On my way to Lagos from a trip to Benue State two years ago, we witnessed an accident right in front of us at the Ife-Ibadan expressway. Our driver stopped a few meters from the scene while we alighted to assist the victims. To my greatest surprise almost all the passengers immediately brought out their smartphones and started recording and snapping the scene!

    Help only came from a gentleman and I who ventured into the wreckage to assist passengers we could visibly see were still alive. The gentleman called the FRSC in the process and they arrived thirty minutes later to take over the rescue effort. We had a heated argument later in the bus about the conduct of the other passengers. Unfortunately, most of them didn’t see anything wrong in their conduct!

    From that incident, I started seeing the dark side of social media. A situation where the misfortune of an individual becomes “news” and opportunity to “thank god” by another should be worrying. I believe most readers can identify with this dilemma. You see it on Facebook where people post uncensored pictures of accident scenes on their walls with scant regard to the pains of the family members of such victims. This has remained the ugly side of the social media.

    The social media, a platform for social interaction among people in which they create, share or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks has radically altered the way we live and interact. Anchored on mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms through which individuals and communities share, co-create, discuss, and modify user-generated content, it is indeed revolutionary. However, the issue with social media is that most people do not know how and where to draw the line.

    It is not only about personal conducts; the social media is also changing the dynamics of politics and governance. With its overwhelming ability to connect the world through personalised devices, the social media has changed the way we see and understand the character of individuals and leaders. All over the world, individuals, leaders and their associates now maintain social media accounts, bypassing the orthodoxy of the traditional media and its commendable gatekeeping role.

    Recollect that from the time former United States’ president, Barack Obama, began to use the social media in a more personable format, politicians now cash in on its strategic function of direct access to the public. I believe we will not forget in a hurry the “Fresh Air” campaign of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan who in 2010 used Facebook to announce his presidential bid taking the shine off his rivals who were scheduled to do the same earlier using the traditional media. His opponents were seen as “analog politicians” who cannot effectively “connect” with the youth. The rest, as we all know, is now history.

    On the flip side; as much as social media has done a lot of good, the direct access leaders now have to the people now helps us see that they have clay feet as well. Suddenly, people are realising that they are “human” after all with all the foibles of being human. They can be jealous, vindictive, throw tantrum like kids, and whip up ethnic tension with scant regard for its repercussions. I can go on and on.

    A classic example is the US President Donald Trump who has deprecated the essence of leadership through the impolitic tweets he sends out daily. According to Melanie, his wife, he never lets an insult pass him by. His Twitter storms reveal him as undisciplined, unregulated, and unhinged. At times, it looks like scenes out of a comic book, except it’s for real.

    Who could ever imagine that a time would come that the president of the US would take to Twitter to directly comment on live TV shows and ratings, insult journalists using crude language, or insult women by saying blood is oozing out from their wherever? Even dictators who do not pretend they have regard for their people, such direct attacks are incomprehensible.

    Where would one place a leader who can devote time and energy to playing the role of his own attack dog? Experts in PR, political communication and psychology are confused as his actions seem to defy known tested theories. An Ethics official who resigned recently said Trump has made America a “laughing stock.” Trump has revealed a dilemma that won’t go away anytime soon.

    For those of us who grew up associating the US presidency with decency, dignity and moral integrity, Trump has taught us that it is possible for a man never to be ennobled by the eminence of the office he holds. With his Twitter rants that no one seem to know how to stop, he keeps showing to the world that the office cannot make a man who will not let the nobility of leadership refashion him.

    Back home, there was a Facebook exchange between the wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari and the Senator of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, almost two weeks ago. For those who hold the view on social media that Nigeria is a ‘zoo,’ the exchange made their day and confirmed their belief that Nigeria is no better than a jungle.

    It all started when Senator Sani posted a message on Mrs. Buhari’s Facebook wall, saying “prayer for the absent Lion King has waned. Until he’s back, then they will fall over each other to be on the front row of the palace temple. Now the hyenas and the jackals are scheming and talking to each other in whispers; still doubting whether the Lion King will be back or not. Now the Lion king is asleep and no other dare to confirm if he will wake up or not. It’s the wish of the Hyenas that the Lion King never wakes or come back so that they can be kings…”

    In response, Mrs. Buhari – who is never shy of expressing strong, sometimes controversial political views – posted her own loaded message: “God has answered the prayers of the weaker animals. The hyenas and the jackals will soon be sent out of the kingdom. We strongly believe in the prayers and support of the weaker animals.”

    Those who follow Senator Shehu Sani and his political allegory can piece things together to arrive at the conclusion of who the hyenas and jackals are. However, the reduction of the nation to the status of a zoo, a wild jungle in which all of us are seen in animal metaphor is rather unfortunate. Besides, while lions are regarded as the king of the jungle and the fiercest hunters of prey, it has also been established that any single lion can easily be brought down by a small group of hyenas, or a herd of buffalos can ensure they never have their way. Again, the social media has given us a sneak preview on what is going through the minds of our leaders.

    Now that the PDP issue has been resolved and Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi is now the legitimate chairman of the party, we will begin to see our politicians in their true colours. Be getting ready for alignment and realignment as we inch closer to 2019. Also, gird your loins because the social media is going to be the battle ground as it was on the road to 2015. Unfortunately, the social media holds no captive as everyone is free to air his views, from the most serious to the mundane.

  • Wiping the Tears of Crisis Victims

    Wiping the Tears of Crisis Victims

    The last few days in Taraba State were not the best anybody could wish for. Peace, one of the most prized achievements of the present administration in the state, was rudely interrupted with the outbreak of hostilities between herdsmen and farmers in Mambilla – the future home of Africa’s largest hydro electricity power project in Sardauna Local Government Council Area.  Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku who was at the time away in Germany holding consultative meetings with foreign experts on some critical programmes of his administration rushed back home to attend to the problem.

    His intervention even before setting out for home led to prompt deployment of security forces to the trouble spots. This, in turn, helped in quickly dousing the conflict and cutting down drastically the amount of casualties that would have resulted. Even then, those who had hoped to make political gains from the crisis were as usual on duty. They pulled out all the materials in their bags of tricks to keep the embers of fire alive and burning in Mambilla but they failed. The crisis was quickly contained to their frustration and dismay.

    The end of the crisis paved the way early for a critical consultative meeting held in the Executive Council Chambers in Jalingo Saturday, June 24. The meeting called and presided over by Governor Ishaku, had in attendance representatives of all communities, traditional and political leaders from Sardauna Local Government Area. It was five hours of frank discussions that eventually led to far-reaching decisions. Leaders on both sides of the conflict resolved to give peace a chance and pledged to prevail on members of their communities to do so. Governor Ishaku, at the end of the meeting, announced the setting up of two ad hoc bodies – a high-powered 14-member committee to be headed by a traditional ruler and made up of community leaders from the area and a Truth and Reconciliation committee whose members and terms of reference will be announced after the Governor has been appropriately guided by relevant legal authorities. These committees are an addition to the Judicial Commission of Enquiry early announced by Governor Ishaku which has two weeks to submit its report to government.

    These steps taken at the meeting were very well received as welcome relief by participants at the meeting and members of the affected communities in Sardauna Council Area.  Many people who later reacted said the decisions were products of strategic thinking and capable of leading to the achievement of lasting peace in the area. The committees are expected to deal with the very critical issue of land ownership which was the point of emphasis at the meeting as a major remote cause of the crisis. Land – the struggle for it for farming and grazing – is a major cause of the strains in the relations between herdsmen and farmers that eventually culminated in the crisis.

    Over the years population of people who need land for farming has grown tremendously. And so is that of cattle, sheep and goats that also depend on land for grazing. But there has been no corresponding increase in land available to meet these rising needs. The committees will be examining how this conundrum can be resolved so that land could become less a source of conflict and more of prosperity for those who depend on it.

    A few days  later, government took another major step to bring care and succour to victims of the crisis. A government delegation led by the Deputy Governor, Engineer Haruna Manu was in Sardauna Local Government area to sympathise with victims and hand-over relief materials provided by government to them. He visited displaced persons in their temporary places of abode and assured them that government would assist in reintegrating them back into their various communities.

    At the palace of the chief of Mambilla, Manu said the crisis came as a big surprise to the state government because the people of Mambilla are very peace-loving. He told the people that the message he brought to them from Governor Ishaku is that there should be no further outbreak of crisis in the area. “What happened is the work of Satan and it must not be allowed again”, he said. He told a large crowd of people who had gathered before his arrival that many good things were in the offing for Mambilla and therefore “you must avoid anything that could hinder those good things from coming.”

    On Sunday June 25, an important political personality from the state, Alhaji Shuaibu Isa Lau, who was a few days earlier declared winner of the 2015 senatorial election in Taraba North came calling on Governor Ishaku at Government House, Jalingo. The venue of the reception which attracted a large crowd of supporters of the Senator (designate) was also the Executive Council Chambers. In a speech, Governor Ishaku said he and the new senator share a common experience of having their mandates subjected to long and tortuous judicial scrutiny. He urged the senator designate not to see the time wasted in the process of regaining his mandate as a loss but an experience that would strengthen his resolve to contribute more to the development of the state.

    Deaths in the House

    It was a period of grief for Governor Ishaku, staff of Government House and the entire people of the state. Sylvanus Giwa, senior special assistant to the governor on media and publicity slumped and died Friday June 23. Giwa had reported for duties that day and had just finished supervising the editing of a television documentary he was packaging when he slumped. He died moments later in a Jalingo hospital where he was rushed to. He is survived by his widow and children.

    While the staff of the Government House were still trying to overcome the shock of Giwa’s sudden death, came yet another news of death – that of Danbaba Suntai, former Governor  of Taraba State. Danbaba’s road to his eventual death on Wednesday June 28 is a long one. A plane which he had personally piloted crashed somewhere near Yola Airport in 2012. He sustained brain injuries and had been in and out of hospitals in Nigeria and overseas many times since then. The crash terminated his second tenure as governor abruptly half way. He never fully recovered from the injuries until his recent death.

  • ‘I know the trauma Evans and his members put me through’

    ‘I know the trauma Evans and his members put me through’

    •Dunu attacks police over worker’s release

    Some victims of suspected kingpin, Chukwudumeje George Onwuamadike aka Evans, are worried that they may be harmed by yet-to-be arrested members of his gang.

    One of them, Chief Donatus Dunu whose escape led to Evans arrest, decried the release by the court of his worker, Emeka Egbulugha who he claimed facilitated his kidnap.

    Another victim, who refused to be named, said he was freed after six months in the gang’s den, adding that he has since kept a low profile.

    He said it took him two months after his release to recollect how to sign his cheque.

    He said: “I am yet to get over the shock of my kidnap. Honestly, I am afraid to talk about it because I believe a lot of his members are still walking free. The police have done well by arresting him but they should round up all his other gang members.

    “I was detained for six months until my family paid the last dime demanded. I have been hiding since my release. I know the trauma Evans and his members put me through. Till this day, I get scared when his name is mentioned. It took me two months before I could sign my cheque.

    “Now, I heard that criminal is begging for forgiveness and that people are even campaigning for his release. Has he forgotten the damage he did to my family and many others? The police should please ensure his other members walking free are caught. That’s the only way I can feel safe.”

    Dunu, said the release of Emeka and others has placed his life and those of his family members under threat. He insisted that he heard Emeka’s voice and also saw him at the Igando den, where he was detained for more than two months.

    He said: “Nobody should have allowed those suspected workers in my company to be granted bail in any guise because I have evidence of the active participation of, particularly, Emeka, my pharmacist. Releasing him has worsened my plight and that of my family.

    “Why should police release Emeka, the chief accomplice in my kidnap? I not only heard his voice while in captivity, but saw him there few days after my kidnap. He came asking them where I was kept. When they showed him, he opened the door where they kept me in chains and our eyes met. Though I was blindfolded, I was about eating when I heard his voice and I normally remove the blind. That was how I saw him and I had the greatest shock of my life.

    “He was always there with my abductors. His voice is unmistakable to me having stayed with him since 2003. The man in charge of the den, Uche, whom he claimed he does not know, speaks the same dialect with him. He is the person Emeka met each time he visited. There was also another member of the gang who spoke the Abakaliki dialect of Yoruba and I don’t know whether those arrested have confessed about his whereabouts to the police.

    “I have a strong feeling that Uche and Emeka are from the same town because they speak the same dialect. Those guarding me were initially two. When the Abakaliki man travelled on Easter Monday, they brought another person to replace him. That one is very sick because he was coughing constantly. I knew that the Abakaliki man travelled because I heard Emeka discussing with Uche, asking whether he had travelled and Uche said, yes.

    “That same Easter Monday, I overheard Emeka and Uche saying “We will kill him.  We have no alternative until chairman comes back.”

    “Two weeks after, chairman came back and I knew whenever he visited because they shut all the doors and switch on the generator perhaps, to stifle their discussions.  His visit did not last more than 10 minutes and that was the first and only time he came to the den while I was there.  That same night, the Abakaliki man brought noodle for my dinner.

    “He told me to eat so that I will have enough energy to face ‘us at the canal.’ They later told me that canal is where they use to ‘bath’ their captives and I concluded that it means where they killed their victims. I was made to understand that the Abakaliki man is the one that would kill me if chairman gives the order.

    “That was when I realised the killing they were discussing with Emeka was about to take place.  Earlier, I thought that the killing they were discussing must be probably another person. But after this canal; discussion, I now knew that I was their target.  After that, I overheard Emeka again, about two weeks later, discussing with Uche saying ‘If they want to kill him, they should kill him.  In fact, kill him.’

    “Then, their last discussion was on Wednesday before my escape on Friday. I heard Emeka again asking whether they had killed me. They said no, it was going to be Friday night. That was when I concluded that it was all over.”

    Asked if he had any disagreement with Emeka before his kidnap, Dunu said the only thing he remembered was making some adjustments after he suspected Emeka was fleecing him.

    He said: “I suspected that he and some of my boys were stealing goods from my warehouse and I made changes, which I suspect did not favour him. I strongly suspect that this must be his motive to connive with those kidnappers.  In fact, before my abduction, we had a meeting with a foreign partner and I remember vividly that during one of my telephone conversations with their chairman whom I suspect is Evans, he asked me who the two ladies in my office were the same day I was kidnapped.

    “Emeka came to the office that same day and those ladies were with me.  Why did the chairman ask that question? Who told him that I was with two ladies in my office? These are the unanswered questions police should have asked.

    “Secondly, my kidnappers told me that they have a group picture of my staff which we took last January.  We use to meet every January and all the sales representatives including Emeka attended. They also claimed they went to take inventory of the goods in my warehouse. Yes, they did but we are still auditing to know whether goods were missing or not.

    “Even, an account opening document was found in Emeka’s official car before he was taken to the anti-kidnapping unit after his arrest.  Emeka was the only visitor that came to the den while I was there. He was not an ordinary friend to those that guarded me.

    “I feel so bad that the police allowed the court to set him free thereby endangering my life. I don’t think the police carried out a thorough investigation after the so-called identification parade which was simply a charade. I am calling on the police authorities to do the needful by re-arresting Emeka and investigating him thoroughly.”

    Why suspects got bail – Police

    The police have explained how Emeka was released.

    Deputy Commissioner of Police, Administration, Dansuki Galandashi, said Emeka and two others, Kingsley and Tochukwu, were arrested and charged to court on May 17. The suspects, he said, were remanded in prison custody before the court granted them bail on June 23.

    “Before they were granted bail, Evans was arrested. We did an identification parade and they said they did not know Evans. Evans also claimed not to know any of them.

    “Since the Inspector-General of Police (IGP’s) creed is to inspire openness, we had no choice than to charge the case to court. The court looked at the evidence and released the suspects. The Police did not release them, the court did,” Galandashi said.

  • Evans collected $4m, N22m from 10 victims in Lagos

    Arrested kidnap kingpin Chukwudubem George Onwuamadike (aka Evans) collected $4million and N22million from 10 of his Lagos victims, it was learnt yesterday.

    The notorious criminal, who was arrested on Saturday by the police in Magodo, a highbrow neighbourhood of Lagos, has been operating with his gang since 2012. He is allegedly responsible for many high profile abductions.

    His victims were abducted across the states in the South, most of them held for many months until the last kobo requested was remitted by their relatives.

    From the loot, Evans financed his flamboyant lifestyle. He rode choice vehicles, including a Mercedes G-Wagon, wore designer wristwatches and had expensive mobile telephone handsets. He lived in luxury homes.

    Fielding questions from reporters yesterday, Evans said: “The highest amount I have collected is $1million from Festac. I don’t know my net worth. I don’t have any money in the bank. I operate only one account. I collect dollars because it’s my choice. It’s not true that victims pay money to an account in South Africa.”