Gbenga Sholaja, an
Accounting graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University, and two other suspects,
Olalekan Benjamin and Samson Shomorin, who specialise in kidnapping little
boys, were arrested by men of the Igando Police Division and the suspects were
on Wednesday paraded by the Lagos State Police Command, following their arrest,
by a tip off from a seven-year-old victim.
It was gathered that the
child whom they kidnapped and later released after ransom was paid by his
parents led police officers to the same house where Benjamin was arrested.
Sholaja, who wept
profusely said that he was pushed by unemployment into kidnapping. He said, “I
have a Second Class Upper (Division) in Accounting and have completed my
National Youth Service Corps programme.
“I went into kidnapping
because since I finished my NYSC in 2011, I have been unable to get a job.”
However, Benjamin, an
ex-convict, who was remanded in prison for kidnapping three years ago, said he
met Sholaja at OOU while he was trying to gain admission into the school.
He said, “I was a casual
worker at a factory in 2007 before I was sacked; I earned N300 per day. After
staying idle for some months, I met a friend, Muyiwa, we were carriers of
frozen fish at Apapa. He introduced me to Taofeeq.
“One day, Taofeeq
brought a small boy to my house and asked me to take care of him. He claimed
that the boy was his younger brother; he was about seven years old. The boy
stayed in my house with my family and was well taken care of for four days.
Taofeeq even sent money for his upkeep.
“When Taofeeq went to
collect N150, 000 ransom, he was arrested by SARS and he led them to my house.
We were charged and sent to prison in November 2009. In September 2010, we were
released because the complainant refused to show up in court.”
Benjamin,claimed that
Sholaja invited him to take part in another kidnapping; he said Sholaja had
read about Benjamin’s arrest in the newspapers.
Benjamin said, “We would
kidnap one boy and we would keep the boy in his (Sholaja’) mother’s house at
Owode Ijako.
“After a week, the boy’s
parents paid the money. We were given N100,000 and my share was just N40,000.”
Benajmin, said they usually kidnapped children
while on their way to or from school, and that he befriended potential victims
by buying them biscuits on their way to school, thereby earning their trust.
He said, “It was the
last kidnap that got us into trouble. I drove away not knowing that the boy
memorised my father’s house address, where he was kept.
“After he was released,
he led policemen to the house and I was arrested along with my dad but my dad
was later released on bail.”
All suspects were said
to have collected a total of N260,000 on two separate occasions, to secure the
release of two boys.
Lagos Deputy Police
Public Relations Officer, Damasus Ozoani, said the suspects were arrested on
September 29, 2013. And “They confessed to have kidnapped three children -one
from Omole Phase 1; one Kola at Alagbado area and the last one in Owode Ijako,
Ogun State, and various amounts of money were collected as ransom.”
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