The woman accused of aiding suspected billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeje George Onwuamadike (alias Evans) to escape justice in 2006 after he was arrested for armed robbery, is now a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) and still in the Nigeria Police.
Simply identified as Tina, she was unmasked by a Special Investigation Panel set up by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris to probe Evans’ 2006 arrest, transfer from Lagos State to Imo State and his questionable release eventually.
Recall that CHECKPOINTCHARLEY reported that Evans confessed to the police, after his June 10 arrest, how he and his gang members robbed a Lagos bank in 2006 and that while sharing the loot, there was a disagreement, which led to a fight.
He narrated how they started shooting themselves and at the end many of the robbers died. Evans added that he seriously injured and abandoned by the others.
The kidnap kingpin also disclosed that the fallout of that robbery was him being arrested by the police, saying that he e and two others were transferred to the Imo State Police Command, from where they were released.
A source has now told The Nation that Tina, then a Superintendent of Police (SP), was the officer who mounted pressure on those handling the case in Lagos to release Evans and two of his members. But when her request was not met, she went through Imo State Command, where a signal was sent that ultimately led to the transfer of the suspects.
The source said the panel set up by IGP Idris to investigate the 2006 arrest, transfer and release of Evans and his gang members has identified almost all the officers who had a hand in the matter. Some are still serving, while some have retired, the source said
According to the source the police might soon release statement on the issue and expose those officers that participated in the “rape of justice”..
The source said: “I can tell you that Tina is not the woman’s real name but I won’t give you her name. I can also tell you she’s now a CSP and still in service. So many officers took part in that 2006/2007 release of Evans and they are being investigated. The panel has made progress and almost all of them have been identified. An official statement might be release by the authorities soon.”
Meanwhile, the fundamental rights suit filed by Evans, challenging his continuous detention with arraignment before a court, has been assigned to Justice Babs Kuewumi of the Federal High Court in Lagos for adjudication. Evans is demanding his release if the police cannot arraign him in court immediately. He is claiming N300 million as damages for unlawful detention.
Due to reports in the media that Evans had disassociated himself from the case, his lawyer OlukoyaOgungbeje has clarified that he filed the matter on the instructions of the family of the arrested kidnapper. He said that Evans’ father was personally in court to depose to an affidavit in support of the suit.
However, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Abba Kyari, who led the police team that arrested Evans in his Magodo GRA mansion, Lagos said last Friday that the police has a court order that permits them to detain him for 90 days.
According to him, detention warrant was obtained on June 21, 2017, contrary to reports that Evans was being held unlawfully by the police.
He said: “All those who want Evans released did not know that the police had obtained a 90-day warrant to detain him.
“We envisaged that they would do that, hence we beat them to it.”
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