One of the victims of alleged billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike (popularly known as Evans), on Friday told a Lagos judge how his family received 50 per cent discount on ransom from his abductors last year.
Donatus Dunu, the last victim before the alleged kidnappers were arrested, while giving evidence before an Ikeja Division of the Lagos State High Court said the discount was given two days before Good Friday.
According to him, Evans kept pegging his demands in dollars, euro and naira “based on market value” and his insistence on receiving the ransom in euros made it difficult for his family to raise the money.
“Evans asked for my brother’s phone number and I gave him. They called my brother Anselm Dunu that I should tell him my bill is €1 million through a conference call. They were beating me that I should say that I have agreed that I will pay €1 million and I told my brother.
“They had been calling my brother almost every day and they will be beating me so that my brother will hear my crying. So at a time I asked my brother to start looking for where to borrow money.”
“At a time they said they have been able to raise up to ₦60 million naira which I asked the chairman (Evans) to take the ₦60 million naira and when I come out I will make the remaining money for him but he said me and my brother are saying rubbish.”
“At a time they tried to change the money to euro but Evans said no because there was a time around March when naira appreciated, he asked them not to change it anymore that it’s not euro again but naira and when naira started depreciating again he asked them to change it back to euro.”
“I pleaded that euro was too hard to get and his boys advised me to ask him to give me discount and he came down from €1million to €500,000; that is about 50% discount.”
