The Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team, IRT, has arrested a soldier in Lagos for allegedly being part of the gang of the notorious kidnapper, Chukwudi Onwuamadike, alias Evans.
A police source said that the team led by Abba Kyari, an assistant commissioner of police, arrested the soldier after weeks of surveillance.
The source said that the soldier, a lance corporal, identified as Victor Chukwunonso, was arrested on Friday at about 9 p.m. in Ojo area of Lagos.
The source, however, said that police detectives in a follow-up to the confession made by Evans, led to the arrest of the soldier who was a member of the army band at Abalti Barrack, Surulere.
It said that the kidnap kingpin had told policemen during interrogation that some notable people collaborated with him in his operations for seven years.
The source said the soldier in his confessional statement, said he had accompanied Evans in three different kidnap operations in Lagos, and got N2 million, N1.5 million and N3 million respectively as his shares.
“There are serious efforts to apprehend other gang members and efforts will be made to arrest others,’’ the source said.
The billionaire kidnapper was arrested on June 10 after being hunted by police for seven years at his Magodo Estate mansion in Lagos.
He told the police during interrogation that some yet to be known notable people collaborated with him during his operations.
Police spokesman, Moshood Jimoh, had promised while parading the kidnapper that every name mentioned by the gang members would be arrested, no matter how highly placed.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Lagos State in charge of Administration, Dansuki Galadanchi, had denied media report that the command released one Emeka, who gave out his boss to Evans and his gang members.
Mr Galadanchi said that after Mr Emeka’s boss, Donatus Duru, escaped from the kidnappers’ detention camp in Igando, the suspect was arrested and charged to Ebute-Meta Magistrate Court 2 and was remanded in prison afterwards.
“It came as a surprise to the police, when a television station reported that the suspect escaped from the police custody.
“Emeka was never in our custody, we charged him to court immediately we arrested him, how come they now said we allowed him to escape from our custody, that is not true,” he said.
NAN
