Suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudubem George Onwuamadike a.k.a Evans, was arrested shortly after his return home last Saturday, some guards in his neighbourhood said yesterday.

Unknown to him, the neighbourhood had been surrounded by the police before his arrival.

But, before his arrest, he had started moving his personal effects from his 3, Fred Shogboyede Street, Magodo, mansion.

A guard, Ali, who said he saw how Evans was arrested, said he was initially surprised to see so many policemen in the estate.

Ali said armed policemen in over four vehicles blocked all the roads leading to the estate.

“Some stayed at the gate close to his house, others stayed at the end of the street and there was another group towards the street behind his house. The man came in that day in a cab and the cab was waiting for him outside.

“But as soon as he entered, policemen surrounded the place. He opened his upper window and called Pius. He asked Pius who those people were and Pius told him they were policemen and they were looking for him.

“Then, he locked the window and stayed there. As of then, we didn’t know what was happening. We thought that maybe they were just looking for him until we saw the policemen drag him out in handcuffs. They also took Pius with them.”

It was gathered that he had not been to the house for sometime before the police busted his gang.

According to some guards, the mansion and another at 96, Emmanuel Keshi Street, also in Magodo, were built less than a year ago.

The houses were locked when The Nation called yesterday.

But, a woman was seen locking the Emmanuel Keshi mansion gate when she left the house.

The guards, who claimed they were friends of Evans’ gateman, Pius, said the suspect neither received visitors nor mixed with neighbours.

They said he usually paid his utility and other estate dues “promptly”, adding that his gateman and chef earned N20,000 each monthly.

According to them, Evans and his family never went to church. They said the only person allowed to go to church was Pius.

One of the guards, who gave his name as John, said: “I have been working in this estate for more than one year. This house is new. It was built last year. The man bought it and remodelled it. He changed a lot of things in the house.

“He doesn’t talk to people. He doesn’t attend estate meetings but he pays his dues. I haven’t seen visitors enter there. He was living in the house with his family and he had a woman cook. His security man is Pius, our brother from Kaduna. He told us the man has four wives and that none of them knew the other.

“Pius was arrested by the police that day (Saturday). The man doesn’t go to church and I never saw his family go to church. Pius told us he was the only one who usually went to church in the house. He said his salary was N20,000 per month.

“We noticed the man started moving out about a month ago. Pius also said it during our discussion that his employer was moving out. The man stopped coming to the estate in his car. Sometimes he came on a power bike, other times, a cab.”

•Credit (except headline): The Nation.

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