Luck ran out for a suspected child kidnapper identified as Ola Ibikunle after he was arrested by police officials in the Oyero area of Ijoko, Ogun State for attempting to abduct a four-year-old girl.
Ibikunle who also earns a living as a bricklayer also confessed to have kidnapped a three-year-old boy in the same vicinity in June before selling him for N1,500 to a buyer in Sango, also in Ogun State.
Ibikunle was reportedly caught in the act when he held his victim, identified as Eniola by the neck and forcefully dragged her into an uncompleted building when he was caught by passerbys and reported to the police.
Reports say the victim and her 11-year-old sister were accompanying their father to church at the Ijoko area when the suspect decided to strike after he discovered that the father of the victim identified as Segun Quadri had gone a distance ahead of his kids.
Immediately Eniola was abducted by Ibikunle, her sister Opeyemi raised an alarm which caught the attention of a mob which stormed the uncompleted building where the victim was dragged into by the suspect.
Ibikunle was caught trying to strangle the victim but was overpowered by the mob who decended on him and later handed the suspect over to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Agbado Police Division.
The artisan also confessed to have kidnapped a three-year-old boy in the same vicinity where he attempted to abduct Eniola in June before selling him for N1,500 to a buyer in Sango.
“I am a bricklayer, but I use child abduction to augment my wages. A man in the Sango area contracted me to always get children for him. I don’t know what he uses them for. Last month, I abducted a boy of about three years and sold him to the man for N1,500.
“This girl (Eniola) was the second child I would abduct, but I did not succeed.” Ibikunle said.
Recounting the incident, the father of the victim said the reason he walked so fast was because him and his kids were already late for church.
“The incident happened around 1pm on Tuesday. We had a programme in our church and we were late. Since Opeyemi is older, I thought they should be able to find their way to the church.
“I had gone some distance ahead when some people called me that Opeyemi said her younger sister had been abducted. She said the abductor escaped with Eniola to an uncompleted building and she led us there. We met him holding her by the neck.”
ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, the Ogun State acting Police Public Relations Officer, said Ibikunle will undergo further investigation.
“It is a case of suspected child stealing. The police were able to arrest the suspect with the help of residents. The Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, has directed that the suspect should be transferred to the command headquarters for a thorough investigation.”
He also informed that efforts are being made to apprehend the buyer of the abducted kids.
“The suspect has confessed to the crime and he stated that he sells his victims to a man in the Sango area. But he has yet to mention the name of the kingpin. Some operatives followed him to the area twice, but he did not lead them to the man’s house. We are going to ensure that we track him down”.
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