Since this week, Nigeria’s social media space had been dominated by a story of a billionaire who reportedly confessed making his huge cash through kidnapping. The billionaire who hails from Nnewi reportedly told the police how he made millions of dollars from ransoms paid by his victims. Recently, Vanguard Newspaper also published a story where the wife of the ‘genius’ denied knowledge of her husband’s career, pleaded for forgiveness and promised that he will repent.
The billionaire named Chukwudubem Onwuamadike and popularly known as Evans reportedly told the police how he made his riches through depriving fellow beings their liberty and safety. The shocking part of the whole saga is that he was reported to have been in the business for years within Nigeria without being tracked down by Nigerian security agencies and as his wife claimed, he did all without her knowledge.
One may wonder how a woman will be married to a man for years, delivered five kids for him and yet failed to code the kind of business her husband had been doing. That reminds me of what I witnessed when I visited an office of the SpecialAnti-Robbery Squad (SARS) some time ago and a wife of a convicted kidnapper who happened to be a fresh medical doctor told the SARS officials that she never knew that her husband was a deadly criminal. When the young lady was asked how a learned lady like her got married to a man that had no known business, she said she failed to think about the man’s business before their marriage because the man was a devoted Christian and that he had several flashy cars and always dashed her money in tens of thousands every week and that made her believe that he had a lawful means of livelihood.
The lady, however, said she suspected that something was wrong on their wedding night as her husband told her he can’t sleep in their home that night in order to meet up with a business proposal and after several arguments, she succumbed after which he gave her hundred thousand naira for dinner and drove off. Even though what this lady and Evans wife said may not be true, women should avoid rushing into marriages simply because they see luxurious properties belonging to the man.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian police should know that heaven and hell will never forgive them if they mess up with Evans’ case. It is unfortunate that even till now, the media is still releasing different names as that of Evans. It will never be funny if, at the end of the day, the court will rule that the man wanted was one “Onwuamadike” but the one arrested and arraigned was one “Onuamadike” thereby nullifying the whole process, “discharging and acquitting” the man is popularly known as Evans and that will make mockery of the whole process and consequently attract a massive compensation for the young man currently under detention. The Police should endeavor to do proper investigation before charging the young man to court to avoid a shameful embarrassment.
Riches are good and necessary but unlawful riches kill faster than any disease known to man.