Encomium
The Police, following the arrest of Chukwudi Onuamadike on Saturday, June 10, 2017, described him as brilliant, crafty, deadly, rich and notorious…and they were on point as his property portfolio attests. With two houses in Magodo (Lagos) and another two in Accra (Ghana), who knows where else he planted property.
The Magodo house where he was arrested was said to have been bought for N130 million. The Fred Shoboyede Street residence is plush and nice, with modern gadgets, beautiful furniture and furnishings transforming it to a sumptuous haven.
With two generators, an additional N30 million would have been spent to upgrade the sky blue storey building.
The other house, light brown and cream, is a wonderful structure on two floors. With manicured lawn and shrubs, it is an inviting edifice.
The Ghana houses are also said to be classy and comfortable. And planted in choice areas of Accra.
The crooked brilliance of the father of five children is evident in his negotiating skills and insistence that ransom be paid in dollars. Keeping his victims as long as it takes for them to pay their ransom, his deliberate and measured way is a testimony of his shrewdness.
And receiving over $4 million (N1.6 billion) and billions in Naira as ransom from his victims over less than 3 years, he must have made more in his 10 year crime wave since 2007.
Neighbours agreed that he has a wondrous collection of eye-popping vehicles, with his Lexus jeep a winner by kilometres.
Sending his three sons and two daughters and his wife on many trips abroad for vacations, he played the dotting daddy.
And relocating them to Canada must have cost him hundreds of Naira as they jetted out from Ghana.
Now the end has come! Everything pales into nothingness as he faces long years in prison or death…
