Bricklayer abducts two children, sells 3-year-old child for N1,500
Lagos – A
bricklayer, Ola Ibikunle who allegedly abducted children and sell to
his customers in Ogun state has been apprehended and detained by the
police after he was caught with a four-year-old girl in the Oyero area
of Ijoko, Ogun State.
It
was reliably gathered that Ibikunle had held the four-year-old girl
(victim), Eniola, by the neck and was about to strangle her in an
uncompleted building when he was caught by passersby.
The
suspect, who confessed to have stolen a three-year-old boy and sold him
for N1, 500, was later handed over to operatives of the Special
Anti-Robbery Squad of the Agbado Police Division.
According
to source, Eniola and her 11-year-old sister, Opeyemi, were following
their father, Segun Quadri, to a church in Ijoko around 2pm on Tuesday.
The father was said to have gone some distance ahead when the suspect
ambushed the children and abducted Eniola.
The
victim’s sister, Opeyemi, reportedly raised the alarm which caught the
attention of some passersby and the suspect was reportedly met in an
uncompleted building while trying to strangle the girl.
An angry mob had beaten him up before the police arrived on the scene.
In
his confessional statement to the Police, Ibikunle, who hails from
Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State revealed that Eniola was his second victim.
He
confessed to have stolen a three-year-old boy around the Ijoko area
sometime in June and sold him to a man in the Sango area for N1, 500,
saying “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.”
Fielding
questions from newsmen, the victim’s father, Segun said he and the
children were already late for a church programme on that day which made
him to walk faster than them.
He
said, “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.”
A
police source also revealed that efforts were being made to apprehend
the buyer of the abducted children, “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”.
Confirming
the report, the acting Police Public Relations Officer, Ogun State
Command, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the suspect would be further
investigated.
He
said, “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.”