A teenager identified as Dorcas Adilewa was arrested alongside her friend, Ifeoluwa Ogunbanjo, a nursing mother, whose mobile phone, she used to contact her father for ransom.
According to Adilewa, she needed the money to sponsor herself through school, adding that she was seeking admission into the university.
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She said: “I worked with a betting company but I was owed my three-month salary. I stopped going to school when my aunt died. But I was able to write JAMB this year. I needed the money to sponsor myself through school because my father was no longer working and my uncle doesn’t assist.
“The truth is that my friend is innocent. She did not know about my plan. I went to her house at Ijebu on Thursday and I left on Friday. It was while in her house that I called my father with her phone to tell him I was kidnapped and that they were demanding N600, 000.
“My friend did not know I called my father and I did not tell her I was kidnapped. I used her phone because I did not have airtime in mine. When I called my dad, he said I should stay there, that he would see to it.”
Ogunbayo, 20, said she was innocent, weeping that her mother was an imbecile and needed her back home.
She said: “I know nothing about this. She is my friend and she came to my house for a visit. She called and said she was kidnapped and that she was at my bus stop at Ijebu-Igbo.
“She said I should come and pick her, which I went because I considered her to be my friend not knowing I was going to be implicated by her intended actions. I am not aware of her plans; I just accommodated her as a friend. My mum also welcomed her. I asked her how it all happened and she said, she entered a Toyota Camry in Epe so when she escaped she came to Ijebu-Igbo straight.
“So, later on she asked for my phone to make a call and I gave it to her. I did not know she went outside and made a call to her father demanding a ransom.
“The next day, my mum gave her N500 transport to go back home. She called her dad to send her transport, her dad sent her N8, 000 and she did not inform me. I was implicated because it was my phone she used to make the call.”
Parading the suspects, Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal said the case was reported on July 7, while they were arrested July 13.
Edgal said: “On July 7, at about 5pm, Adilewa Taiwo of 3, Kosumi Lane, Bello-Ketu, Lagos, reported at Ketu Police Station that he received a call from phone number 09057432362.
“He was told that his daughter, Dorcas Adilewa, was being held hostage and that if he does not want her killed, he should pay a ransom of N600, 000 to secure her release. Investigation into the case was immediately commenced and the above phone number that was used by the suspects was geo-located to Ijebu-Igbo area of Ogun State.
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“The O/C Anti-Kidnapping led his operatives to Ijebu-Igbo on July 12 and combed the area in search of the supposed victim till the following morning.
“While the search was ongoing at Ijebu-Igbo, the location of the supposed kidnappers changed to Ikotun in Lagos and the search party had to move from Ijebu-Igbo to Ikotun to rescue the victim.
“When the fake kidnappers realised that the police were closing in on them, the supposed victim decided to call the complainant to inform him that she has been released, after he had deposited the sum of N8, 000 in her UBA account number 2087804991.”
Imohimi said that when Adilewa was being debriefed upon her release, she confessed that she actually planned the fake kidnap with her friend, one Ogunbanjo.
“She provided her with accommodation at 174, Adeboye Road, Okesopin, Ijebu-Igbo Igbo, Ogun State to hide and the phone that they used in demanding for the ransom.
“Investigation is in progress and on completion, the suspects will be charged to court accordingly,” said Edgal.
Similarly, one Jacob Dare was arrested for attempted kidnapping of a girl at Ayobo, Ipaja on July 17.
Edgal said the victim’s mother, Ebhoboghe Rufus, reported the case, adding that it occurred at Christ Anointed Church, adding that he lured her with N50. The suspect, was pretended to be mentally unstable, was however arrested by church members while trying to escape from the church.
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