It was a scene to behold on Monday, September 7, as an attempt by a middle-aged man to use an 8-year-old kidnapped boy as a collateral for goods worth N51,000 in Surulere area of Lagos, got busted.
The Punch reports that the suspect, Jonathan Cooker, was said to have abducted the primary school pupil whose names are withheld. The young boy was returning from a summer coaching in a school located around Lawrence road in Surulere.
After abducting the young boy, Cooker took him to a big provision store on Cole Street and ordered for crates of soft drinks worth N51,000. However, instead of making payments, he told the shop owner that he would be leaving his younger brother (the kidnapped boy) behind, to get money from the house. The unsuspecting shop owner agreed and gave him crates of soft drinks.
Nemesis however caught up with Cooker when a passer-by who knows the little boy asked what he was doing in the shop. At that moment, Cooker increased his pace in a bid to escape from the scene . But he was immediately apprehended when the little boy told the passer-by that he was picked by a stranger.
Just two days ago, the Nigeria Police arrested a suspected female kidnapper in Lagos. The female kidnapper, Eno, was arrested with three toddlers in her possession. Eno and the three children were on an Iddo, Lagos-bound Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) vehicle, when the attention of other passengers got drawn to her when she could not pacify the 4-month-old baby who was crying uncontrollably.
When passengers told her to breastfeed the baby she was reluctant at first, but when the crying continued she was said to have brought out a feeding bottle containing an orange-colour watery substance, which the baby refused to take.
Kidnapping has been a trend in Nigeria for a while now. Just recently, an alleged kidnapper, Gabriel Ogunsawe, who is from Ijebu-Ode in Ogun state, was caught. The national diploma accounting student of Lagos state Polytechnic was arrested in connection with the kidnapping of a young child of about four years from Amazing Grace Church in Palm groove area.
He told on how he was introduced to the kidnapping business and how his two-man gang operated, kidnapping children from various churches every Sunday.
No comments:
Post a Comment