Ololade Adeyanju
The Inspector General of Police Service (IGP), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, has enlisted the help of his Ghanaian counterpart in keeping a close eye on the immediate family of the arrested kidnap kingpin, Chikwudubem Onwuamadike, popularly referred to as Evans, in order to ensure they do not jeopardise ongoing investigations into his reign of terror.
Idris made the appeal at the West Africa National Security Conference, in Ghana, on Wednesday, even as it emerged that the dare-devil kidnapper had successfully obtained Ghanaian international passports for himself, wife and two of their five children under false names.
Idris urged Ghana’s security agencies to closely monitor the wife and other family members of the suspect, who are currently in Ghana to ensure that a comprehensive investigation is carried out and other accomplices brought to book.
He disclosed that the Ghanaian passport, which was being used by Evans is a genuine one issued in Accra.
Evans’ passport was issued at the Passport Office under the name Asare Nelson, who was supposedly born on 29th April, 1978.
He was as well able to fraudulently secure a Ghanaian passport for his wife, Uchena Precious Onwuamadike, under the name Asare Precious.
His wife and their five children are also said to live in a one-storey duplex on the Spintex road, in Accra.
Idris noted in his address to the conference, held at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra, that Evans’ arrest has revealed the urgent need for bilateral intelligence sharing between countries.
In a similar vein, the West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP), has advocated a strict implementation of the West African Biometric Identity cards to help fight cross-border crimes in the sub-region.
According to the network, data sharing between the ECOWAS countries will help them effectively deal with notorious criminals, who carry out their operations across the borders.
The network’s position followed the emergence of the facts that Evans holds a Ghanaian passport and had properties in Ghana.
Speaking to the Ghanaian media on the development, on Tuesday, the Executive Director of WANEP, Chukwuemeka Eze, said the implementation of the ECOWAS Biometric ID by Sub-Regional leaders will go a long way in fighting crime.
“We need to have a situation where a crime in Ghana is a crime in Nigeria, and therefore we have a community in dealing with crime and criminality. It is important to see the wisdom in the ECOWAS biometric identity card which means that every citizen of the community identity will be centralised so that if you are coming into Ghana, it should be possible for Ghanaian authorities to know where you are coming from, and who you are, and vice versa,” he said.
0