Kidnapper of 16-Year-Old Arrest by Police Officials

A kidnap suspect who threatened to sell his 16-year-old victim has been arrested by operatives of the Edo State Police Command.

The 19-year-old suspect, Tajudeen Igikalo, was apprehended at his residence in Egba along the Benin Auchi Road in the state.

He was arrested by men of the Anti-kidnapping and Cybercrime Unit of the command following a report by the victim’s mother that her daughter left home for school on March 25, but did not return home.

Two days after the incident, the victim’s mother received a telephone call from the suspect that her daughter had been kidnapped and that she must pay the sum of N3 million through a provided account number before the victim could be released.

“He (Igikalo) further threatened that she will be killed or be sold to Fulani herdsmen if no payment (is made). On the 29th of March 2021, the victim’s mother paid the sum of N550,000.00 into a bank account number made available by the kidnapper.

“On 30/03/2021, operatives of Anti-kidnapping and Cyber Crime Unit of the command through Hi-tech intelligence and a painstaking investigation arrested the suspect and rescued the victim in his residence,” a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer in Edo, Kontongs Bello, read.

According to Bello, the suspect has made a confessional statement while items recovered from him included two laptops, a generator, and an industrial standing fan, that were bought from the proceeds of the ransom paid.

He added that the police recovered cash of N220,000 from the suspect while an investigation was ongoing to arrest his gang members.

On his part, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Phillip Ogbadu, urged the people of the state to go about their lawful businesses without any fear of molestation.

He assured them that the command would not relent in its effort to rid the state of criminal elements.