By MATTHEW DIKE
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
A 20-year-old girl in Lagos has used a three-year-old boy as bait in a bid to collect N400,000 from his father whom she alleged had carnal knowledge of her.
Nkechinyere Mmadu was arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly kidnapping the boy while returning from school at Ilasamaja..
Mmadu alleged that the victim’s father promised to rent an apartment for her and also give her N400,000.
Mmadu claimed that the victim’s father, Akeem Okere, who lives at Jimoh Fariogun Street, Ilasamaja, did not fulfil the promise, after he took her to a hotel in Isolo three times, and had canal knowledge of her.
The suspect said she had to deceive the boy that was taking the kid home, because, she was well known in the area. She lied to him that the kid’s mother said she should bring him to a party. From Ilasamaja, the suspect took the victim to his friend’s residence at Murtala Area, Bariga. She alleged they were together with the friend she identified simply as Funke, for one week. She had to leave the residence with the boy because Funke’s parents were not comfortable with them. The suspect said she lied to them that the victim was her aunty’s son.
The suspect further disclosed that she moved the victim to a hotel at Ikorodu area where he met the hotel manager who later took them to his residence in the area.
She said the man harboured them for three weeks before she was nabbed.
According to Mmadu, she had to call Okere to give him the money he promised if he wanted to see his child alive. Okere however reported the incident at Ilasamaja Police State, from where the case was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti.
The detectives advised that Okere should play along and demand for the account number into which the money would be lodged.
Martins Nwoke who claimed he knew Mmadu through his friend, Michael, said the girl told him to provide his account number because her elder sister wanted to send some cash to her. So, Nwoke collected N350,000 from the bank after money was paid in.
Police arrested Nwoke and Mmadu after he had collected the money from him.
The father of the victim, Okere denied knowledge the girl from adam. He said he had not set his eyes on her before. Okere said she only knew his wife and kid when she was still living in Ilasamaja. The victim’s father alleged that it was a man who identified himself as Emmanuel from Edo State who called him on phone, demanding for N800,000. It was later that Mmadu’s voice came on air and his wife recognised the voice.
Meanwhile, the hotel manager, David Nsa had feigned innocence of the kidnap. Nsa said the girl told him she had no place to sleep with the little boy and that her relations were not around while her boyfriend travelled to Port Harcourt, Nsa alleged that he did it because of the innocent boy whose condition, he felt would be deplorable if he slept outside in cold air.
Police spokesman in Lagos, Mr. Frank Mba, a Superintendent of police confirmed the incident to Daily Sun. Mba warned parents to always take their children, from school and back, so that they won’t become kidnapped victim.
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