The Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS, has ordered a kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, known as Evans, to refund the sum of €233,000 ransom he collected from one of his victims, Chief Donatus Dunu, who is the Managing Director of Lagos-based Maydon Pharmaceutical Company
Dunu was kidnapped by Evans near his office on February 14, 2017 and his escape sparked a chain of events that led to the fall of the dreaded kidnap gang.
According to him, he was sold into the hands of the criminals by one of his pharmacists, Emeka, who even wanted him dead for his inability to provide a one million euros ransom.
Delivering his judgement, Justice Olukayode Ogunjobi also ordered Evans to pay N50m as general damages in favour of the claimant.
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Justice Ogunjobi held: “It is settled law that no witness who gives materially inconsistent evidence on oath is entitled to the honour of being accorded any credibility and such does not deserve to be treated as a truthful witness.
“Besides adducing conflicting pieces of evidence on oath, I have watched the demeanor of the Defendant in the witness box when giving evidence and came to the conclusion that the Defendant is not a witness of truth.
“I do not believe his evidence. I accept the unchallenged and uncontroverted evidence of the Claimant and his witnesses. The evidence support the reliefs sought by the Claimant.
“Consequently, the Claimant is entitled to be paid or repaid and or recover from the Defendant, the sum of Euros 233,000 ransom coercively paid by the Claimant to Defendant when the Defendant kidnapped the Claimant in the year 2017 and held the Claimant hostage for months.
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The sum of N50 million is awarded as general damages in favour of the Claimant against the Defendant.
“Post-judgment interest is awarded on the said sum of Euros 233,000 at the rate of 10% per annum from judgment i.e. 14th of February, 2023 until final liquidation. The adjudged said sum of Euros 233,000 and N50million is hereby ordered to be paid or recovered from the Assets of the Defendant. This is the judgment of the Court.”
The court however refused the claim for the pre-judgment interest of 40 percent per annum on the €233,000.
