OPERATIVES of the Delta State Police Command have arrested an Okada rider, Kelvin Ogaga Emighre, for allegedly kidnapping a three-year-old child he was employed to convey to and from school and demanding a ransom from the child’s parents.
The Command’s spokesman, Bright Edafe (SP), in a video on Friday, July 10, said the suspect had been contracted by the child’s parents to pick the three-year-old from home to school and return the child home daily.
He stated that the arrangement lasted for about three weeks until the suspect allegedly diverted the child to another location instead of taking the child to school and subsequently contacted the parents with a different phone number, claiming that the child had been kidnapped, demanding a ransom of N2million ransom.
According the Police spokesman: “An Okada rider was contacted to be picking a three year old child from home to school and from school to home. He did this job for about three weeks before the devil came into him, as he claimed.
“On a faithful day, he took the child from home and instead of taking the child to school, took the child elsewhere and started calling the parents with another number, saying the child had been kidnapped and they should bring the sum of N2million.
“His phone number was switched off and they couldn’t reach him, so they never thought he was the one who masterminded the kidnap.”
Edafe added that the parents reported the incident to the Police, and while at the Police station, the suspect contacted them again, threatening to kill the child if they involved law enforcement officers.
“Eventually, a ransom of N500, 000 was paid and that was when he allowed the child to go home,” Edafe stated.
He explained that the Command’s operatives immediately launched an investigation into the matter, leading to the identification and arrest of the suspect in Ughelli about three weeks ago.
Edafe said after his arrest, the suspect admitted to committing the crime, revealling that he had been paid N10,000 monthly to transport the child to and from school and was in financial difficulty when a friend, identified simply as Omo, suggested the kidnapping as a means of extorting money from the child’s parents.
He said Omo made the initial call to the parents before directing him to continue the negotiations, quoting him as saying: “Before now, I was looking for money and a friend of mine told me to take the child, so that I will ask the parents to give us money.
“The name of that my friend is Omo, though I have known him for years, we are not that close. After taking the child, Omo made the first call to the parents and after that, he told me to be contacting the parents.
“I collected N500, 000 ransom from the parents and released the child. I used some part of the money to pay off some debts.”
Edafe charged parents to exercise greater caution when entrusting their children’s care in individuals, stressing the need to properly scrutinise those responsible for transporting minors.
