The Police have finally arrested Chinyere Godwin, who allegedly supplied arms and ammunition to billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Owuamadike, alias Evans.
Godwin who was alleged to have sold most of the firearms, ammunition and rocket launchers to Evans was arrested by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), two years after he went into hiding.
Evans who was arrested on June 2017 in his mansion at Magodo, Lagos State, by the IRT, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, who is currently standing trial at the Lagos State High Courts of Igbosere and Ikeja, was said to have mentioned Godwin during interrogation as his major arms supplier.
A Police sources from IRT who does not want his name on print, disclosed that Evans had in many occasions confessed that some of the rocket launchers and Ak-47 rifles, used by members of his gang in blowing up bank security doors and bullion vans, during robbery and kidnapping operations, were all supplied to him by Godwin .
The police source said Godwin had serious contacts with arms dealers in Chad and Niger Republic.
The sources said following the confession of Evans, the IGP ordered operatives of the IRT to launched a manhunt on Godwin.
He said for many years, Godwin became elusive and went into hiding and later resurfaced, thinking that since Evans case has gone to the court, police operatives hunting for him would have relaxed their hunting for him.
He, however, said, through cutting-edge technology, Godwin was trailed to Asaba Delta State, where he was apprehended.
Godwin in an interview in IRT cell disclosed that he sold only five Ak-47 rifles to Evans: ” I only sold five AK 47 to Evans. I started selling firearms in 1990. I am a native of Obingwa in Abia State. I learned how to make locally made guns from my boss, late Nnawakwo. He was killed by security operatives for gun-running. I spent three years learning the job of making a gun, before I started making my own. I have several customers coming to buy guns in large quantities. I usually sold locally made double barrel guns for N10,000 and single barrel for N6,000, while the locally short guns were sold for N10,000.
One of my customers, Nwakpa, who was coming from Kaduna State to buy guns from me, was the person who linked me to big arms dealers in Chad and Niger republic. They were the people who supplied me the five Ak-47 rifles I sold to Evans which he used for his bank robbery and kidnapping businesses. I met Evans when he came to my village to treat his bullet wound and his native doctor, Eyinaya Hearth, linked him to me. I knew he was using the guns for armed robbery and kidnapping.
Evans paid me N1.7million for the five Ak-47 rifles. The riffles were supplied to me from Chad. The rifles were concealed in bags of fish and I took my commissions and gave the rest of the money to Nwakpa. It was Nwakpa who supplied the rocket launchers to Evans and not me. Before Evans was arrested I have stopped gun-running.
I went into hiding when I heard that Evans was arrested because I knew he was going to mention my name to the police. After some years, I decided to come out hiding, not knowing that the police were still looking for me. I swear, I had warned Evan to stop kidnapping, but he wouldn’t listen. See the problem that I am facing now “, he lamented.
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