How woman who lost child at Redemption Camp kidnapped 2yrs old girl

Detectives attached to the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a 35-year-old lady, Jumoke Adesida for allegedly kidnapping a toddler Rokibat Raji, in Jerrey Farm in Ikorodu area of Lagos.

According to the mother of the child, Aminat Abidoye, on Friday, June 22, she had left her two years old daughter in the care of her neighbours in her shop located at 12 Kazeem Adeboye street, Odogunyan, Ikorodu and rushed to the market to purchase eggs which she sells. Unfortunately when she returned, her daughter had disappeared.

She had searched everywhere with no trace of the girl before reporting case of a missing child at the Shagamu Road police station.

She said, “I am a trader and I sell eggs. Earlier before my child went missing, I had rushed to the market to buy some eggs. I left my daughter in the shop with my neighbours but when I returned I noticed my daughter was not around.

“When my neighbours and I searched for her everywhere to no avail, I reported to the police in Shagamu- Road police station, Ikorodu. I was surprised when days after, the police found the child in Ogun state.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Imohimi Edgal who paraded the suspect at the State Police Command Headquarters in Ikeja, said “After the report by the mother of her missing two year old daughter, Rokibat Raji at the Station, I directed the officer in charge of Anti kidnapping squad to call for the case file and deploy all his assets with a view to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of the child.

“The squad immediately swung into action, tapping into the robust community policing structure in search of the victim. Their effort paid off as the missing child was traced to one Jumoke Adesida in Odo-kekere in Ogun state.

“During interrogation, the said Adesida confessed to the crime, explaining that she needed the child to play with as her husband has taken her only child away from her.”

In her confessional statement, Adesida said, “I didn’t kidnap the child. I was walking when I noticed that the child was following me. So I carried her to my house in Ogun state.

“I took the child because my child went missing when I went to Redemption Camp for a programme. I wasn’t feeling too well then so I didn’t know who took my child away from me. I didn’t change her name; I took care of her, fed her properly when she was with me.”

In a related development, the police have also arrested five persons for allegedly kidnapping one Murtala Babarbe from Shoprite in Iju area of Lagos state.

The suspects whose identities were given as Owen Onazurulike (21), Patrick Modupe (41), Chika Amadi (31), Kabiru Azeez (31), and Jamiu Jimoh (41) had abducted their victim while he had gone for a shopping and taken him to their hideout in Ishaga.

It was gathered that at the hideout men suspected to be members of the Odua People’s Congress (OPC), had subjected the victim to trial by ordeal and extorted money from him before he was rescued by men of Iju police station.

Denying the allegation, one of the suspects, Onazurulike said, “I am not a kidnapper and the allegation made by the victim against me is false. What actually happened is that on Sunday, my friend called me; I told him that my phone was missing.

“He then sent his younger brother to go with me and withdraw some money at shoprite so I can buy a new phone. When we got to shoprite, I saw Bala (victim) who has been owing me one hundred and eighty thousand naira (N180,000) since last year.

When I asked him for my money, he pleaded with me to be patient, as he just left police cell and has issue with the EFCC.

“So, I asked him to give me his phone. While we were still talking, my friend’s younger brother came to the scene. On seeing Bala, he said Bala owes his brother some money, so, he drove his vehicle away, and after few minutes he returned with these men (pointing to the other suspects) and said they are members of the OPC.

“When I saw them, I thought they were police officers, so I pleaded with them that I didn’t want any issue, but they demanded I gave them ten thousand naira which I didn’t have, so they took Bala away.”

Edgal said the arrested suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.