The prime suspect in the kidnapping incident of a 12-year-old girl, Favour Oluwaseyi in Obio/Akpor Local Government area of Rivers State on August 7, 2024, had been traced by men of the Nigeria Police to the Enugu Correctional facility.
The suspect, simply identified as Chiboy, is an inmate at the facility, as the phone number used in calling the mother of the victim and the account number used in receiving a demanded ransom of N100,000 were traced to him.
Expressing their displeasure over the ugly development, the Rivers Civil Society Organisations have called on the Inspector General of Police and the Controller-General of Nigeria Correctional Service to unmask and arrest the suspect who has been operating and masterminding abductions from the Enugu Correctional facility.
Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, Chairman Rivers Civil Society Organisations, Comrade Enefaa Georgewill, said it was unfortunate that criminals now use correctional centers as hideouts to perpetrate crime and criminality in the society.
The civil rights defenders however, expressed disappointment that efforts made by operatives of the police to arrest the suspect after unravelling his identity were resisted by officials of the correctional facility.
He said, “The story of Oluwaseyi is one story too many in our society and it goes to show the complicity of our security agents, especially the police and wardens in correctional facilities, otherwise called prisons in the continuous atrocious crimes going on in Rivers State and across the country.
“It is barbaric and shameful that eight months after a kidnapping incident, we are still talking about this matter even though we have already gotten the primary suspect who has been traced to Enugu prison.
“What again is the police waiting for, except that men of the police and wardens of the correctional facility are complicit in this matter, otherwise this matter is straightforward.
“We are saying the controller general of corrections should immediately ask his men in Enugu prison to provide the criminal who have kidnapped Oluwaseyi, we are equally calling on the inspector general of police to ask his men to do the needful by making sure that all those who are involved, especially the young girl that lured the victim out of the house that have been caught on camera.”
RIVCSOs further called on the Nigeria Police to invite the friend of the kidnap victim who was seen on CCTV camera escorting the victim to meet the kidnappers on that fateful day.
“We want the inspector general of police to ask his men to produce the girl, because from the information available to us, the girl is nowhere to be found, the girl and her parents have parked out of the house, and the police are saying that they don’t know their whereabouts.
“To date, the young lady who lured Oluwaseyi out of the house is nowhere to be found. We are saying the Inspector General of Police should make sure that the police in Rivers State provide that young lady.
“We are equally saying that he police should do everything humanly possible within their powers to make sure that all those who are found culpable in this matter, especially the wife of the kidnapper in prison whose phone number have been gotten should equally be brought back for security, anything outside this, we will be left with no other choice than to escalate this matter beyond this Press briefing.”
Explaining how his 12-year-old daughter fell into the hands of kidnappers, the 44-year-old father, Mr Ogunsinasi Oluwaseyi, said his daughter was lured out of his house in broad daylight by a neighbour on August 7, 2024.
He said the female neighbour led his innocent daughter to a waiting strange man who, upon laying his hand on his daughter, immediately took her away in a tricycle.
The distraught father of four is now begging well-meaning Nigerians to come to his aid in helping him secure the release of his abducted daughter, who had been in captivity for eight months.
Narrating the incidents that preceded his daughter’s abduction, he said, “On the 7th of August, 2024, I was at my place of work when my wife called me and said my daughter is missing. I was shocked because that was the least thing I expected.
“My wife told me that she was watching TV in the sitting room with the children, alongside a friend of my kidnapped daughter and my wife went to the toilet to ease herself in our bedroom, before my wife could finish from the toilet to return to the sitting room, my daughter and her friend were nowhere to be found.
“My wife checked at the next apartment within the compound, the two girls were nowhere to be found, my wife also checked outside but couldn’t find either of them and she decided to raise an alarm.
“One hour later, my kidnapped daughter’s friend was seen running back, so my wife asked her. Where is your friend Favour that who of you was watching TV together in the sitting room? She said Favour followed a strange man, that both of them followed the man and as the man was going Favour followed the man and she was behind telling Favour, do you know this man you are following but she said nothing.
“That day we searched all round but couldn’t find her, I even called one of my brothers to help me search, but could not find my Favour anywhere.”
Mr. Ogunsinasi explained that the kidnappers, after a week called his wife on the phone and demanded a ransom of N200,000, which N100,000 was paid following much pleadings, adding that the kidnappers despite receiving the ransom and acknowledging receipt, refused to release the little girl.
“On the 9th day of August, a number called my wife and the caller asked my wife to come and collect my daughter at Eleme junction, on her way going, the person called again and was now asking how much are you coming with and my wife said you didn’t ask me to bring money,. you only said I should come and collect my daughter.
“The kidnapper said she should bring N200,000, that they were to do that they can share it, my wife pleaded and they agreed to accept the sum of N100,000, my now asked how she should pay the ransom either with cash or transfer and he said we should transfer to an account number he later sent.
“We thereafter did the payment, having made the payment, after they confirmed the payment, they requested another N100,000.”
He stated that the kidnapers after reneging on their promise to release the little girl unconditionally once their demand is met he decided reported the matter to the Miniokoro police division.
“I went and reported the matter at the anti-kidnapping unit at Miniokoro, the police later came to our house and invited the girl that lured my daughter out to the station, upon getting to the station, they interrogated to girl and because the girl is a minor, she was released by the police.
“Little did I know that the father of my daughter’s friend was going behind my back to extract information from the police, it was after I discovered that I wrote a letter to the Commissioner of Police
“The police then tracked the number that called my wife and demanded ransom and the number showed Enugu prison.”
Mr Ogunsinasi further disclosed that the Kidnappers phone number and account used in receiving the paid ransom was traced to a correctional facility in Enugu.
“The number that was attached to the bank account that received the ransom, after it was tracked, it equally showed Enugu prison, which means somebody in Enugu is the one controlling the outside.
“So when we got to the prison the suspect’s picture was given to one of the wardens, so they used to picture to fish him out and brought him and when I saw him, I said this one is not a prisoner because even the wrist watch he was wearing, myself that is even free don’t tie that kind of wrist watch.
“Even when he was brought to the controller’s office, we never knew that he was the person, untill the wardens told us that this is the person we are looking for.
“The police interrogated him, he was initially cooperating with the police during the interrogation, he denied having access to a phone, not until the police reminded him of the video call he did with his wife right inside the prison, before he now concurred that he has his own personal phone.
“So the police now asked him to bring the phone and assigned a warder to follow, by the time himself and the warder will return, it was like the warder has taught him what to say, that was when he suddenly became aggressive to the police and started shouting at the police, even the statement he has given before he left, he told the police that he cannot sign it and a senior prison official supported him that we cannot force him to sign and they asked us to leave the premises.”
