The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Maydon Pharmaceutical Company, Ilupeju, Lagos State, Chief Donatus Dunu, has said his life is now in more danger with the release of the informant who allegedly assisted in his kidnap.
Dunu was kidnapped by billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans, allegedly with information from one of the managers of his company, Emeka Egbulugha.
He parted with $1.2 million before he escaped.
This was after he had been told he would be “bathed”, which Dunu said meant “to be killed by a river side”.
On his release, Dunu, a billionaire, told the police that Egbulugha was one of those who plotted his kidnap.
He said he saw him at the location he was kept in the kidnappers’ den in Igando area of Lagos State.
But Egbulugha denied this.
Based on the report by Dunu, the police picked up Egbulugha and he was arraigned before a court in Lagos State shortly after the arrest of Onwuamadike.
But the court granted Egbulugha bail.
This has prompted an outcry from Dunu, who said his life is now in danger.
Dunu, who gave vivid description of what transpired in the kidnappers’ den, told newsmen: “Nobody should have allowed those suspected workers in my company to be granted bail in any manner or guise because I have evidence of the active participation of particularly Emeka, my pharmacist, in the deadly operation and releasing him has worsened my plight as I and members of my family now live in perpetual fear of our lives.
“Why should police release Emeka, the chief accomplice in my kidnap? I not only heard his voice while in captivity, having being with him since 2003, but saw him there few days after the 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 for many years. The man in charge of the den, Uche, whom he claims he does not know, speaks the same dialect with him. He is the person Emeka meets each time he visited. There was also another member of the gang who speaks Abakiliki dialect and I don’t know whether those in police net have confessed his whereabouts to the police.
“I have a strong feeling that the manager of the den, Uche, and Emeka are from the same town because they speak the same dialect. Those guarding me were initially two, but when the Abakiliki 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 Abakiliki 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, but until Chairman comes back.’ Two weeks after this, Chairman came back and I knew whenever he visited because they will shut all the doors and switch on the generator, perhaps to stifle their discussions. His visit did not last for more than 10 minutes. That same night, the Abakiliki man brought Indomie 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 kill their victims. They trumpet this daily.
“I was made to understand that the Abakiliki man is the one that will kill me if chairman gives the order. That was when I realised that 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 have killed me. They said no, it was going to be Friday night. That was when I concluded that it was all over.
“I have never had issues with Emeka. The only thing was that 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 and police should have asked these questions.
“Secondly, my abductors 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, attend. 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 is not an ordinary friend to those guarding me.
“I feel so bad that police allowed court to set him free, thereby endangering my life. I don’t think the police carried out thorough investigation after the so-called identification parade, which was simply a charade. Even if the court had course to grant him bail, the police know how to go about such cases by re-arresting him until they carry out diligent investigation. I am, therefore, calling on police authorities to do the needful by re-arresting Emeka and investigating him thoroughly.”
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