Vanessa Onyema: Evans Must Pay For His Crimes

It irks me when I see the #EvansGate trending for the wrong reasons. It has become a jamboree. A circus where people can comfortably hide behind their keypads and create hashtags just because they feel like.
Who in his/her sane mind creates a hashtag #freeevans?

Why on earth will the term forgiveness even come to play? Let the punishment fit the crime!

It hurts me deeply when I see young Nigerians justifying his atrocities and treachery, but then it hit me hard. We are our own problem in this country. Why can’t we just call a spade a spade? Why is every crime committed justified?

Kidnapping is a serious offense and any offender should be punished appropriately. There is no difference between to kidnap and to abduct.

I remember vividly about five years ago in Aba when a kidnapping syndicate led by their notorious leader ‘Osisikankwu‘ held the whole town in captivity.

Everyone lived in fear of their lives. As early as 5pm the place is deserted. If you are seen out wandering at odd hours you will be taken, because to them everyone can be ransomed.

It got so bad that they delivered letters to houses saying they were coming. Imagine the effrontery.

People abandoned their homes, their work and ran for their lives. Aha was empty; a once rowdy town became empty because of a kidnapping syndicate. They instilled fear. They made you understand that you are not safe, they controlled your emotions. Nothing is as frustrating as the feeling of hopelessness.

Fortunately the government intervened, Osiskankwu was snuffed out and killed. People returned back to base and activities restored back to the town.

This case is similar to Evans and his crew. He is no Robin Hood that steals from the rich to give to the poor.
He steals.
He takes away your freedom.
He makes you beg for your life.
He negotiates human life for a price.
He keeps a family up at night praying that they get their loved one safe and sound.

Evans only has a right to an attorney, because it is his fundamental human right; but he is a criminal he should confess, name all his members and suffer for his crimes. His day of reckoning has come.

To me anyone associating or supporting Evans is a criminal and should be treated as an accessory.

There is no justifying his evil deeds. He has been caught, he should humbly serve his penance because it is not enough for what he did.

People like Evans should not have a get out of jail free card. What happens if he walks? Something worse than Osiskankwu will rise because there is no punishment. We deserve to feel safe in our homes and if someone is a threat to that and national security he should serve his punishment!

There is no forgiving Evans. The family of his captivies could but even after forgiveness there is penance.

There is no freeing Evans.

He should face the law accordingly and fast. All these press statements don’t cut it. His family can do a hundred videos for all I care, because while they were living the dream at the expense of others, I was just a girl who her family and friends tried to stay alive, live in the shadows as Osiskankwu took control of my town.

Photo Credit:  NAN Photo