Ngozi Uwujare
In Ogun State, four recently arrested suspects confessed to the abduction and murder of a seven-year-old who went missing on December 12, 2019.
The four suspects, Hassan Oseni, 36, Faruq Shehu, 34, Nurak Habib, 26, and Mohammed Bello, 42, were rounded up at Oke Field, Sabo, Abeokuta, on December 14 and had confessed to the kidnap of Abdulmaliki Musa, the child they reportedly lured with biscuit.
After his abduction, the gang had demanded N5million ransom, but went ahead to kill the boy after collecting N300, 000 from his father. His body was subsequently dumped at the riverside in Enu Ada Lafenwa.
According to Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kenneth Ebrimson, detectives of the Anti-kidnapping Unit, led by Superintendent of Police Shobiyi Oluwatosin, had promptly taken over the case as soon as the victim’s father, Alhaji Lamidi Musa, reported his son missing at the Ilupeju Police Station. Two days later, on December 14, the suspects were arrested and to everyone’s greatest surprise, one of them, and in fact the mastermind of the abduction, was the boy’s older cousin.
Faruq Shehu told Saturday Sun: “I was the one who arranged the kidnapping of my uncle’s son. I have had a little misunderstanding with my uncle. I told him I wanted to marry a third wife. I asked him to give me money, I pleaded with him several times but he was adamant. So, I decided to kidnap his son. I went to their house in the night, and brought him out with biscuit. We took him away around 11:45 pm.”
He continued: “We called his father to demand N5million. The following day, he sent N300, 000 to us. But we killed his boy and left his body at the bank of the river. We shared the N300, 000 among us.”
Shehu was further implicated by the other suspects. One of them, Hassan Oseni, claimed: “It was Faruq (Shehu) who brought the business to us. We followed him to kidnap the boy, who was later kept in my custody. It was Faruq who brought the idea of what to do with the boy, including dumping his body at the bank of the river.”
Oseni also confirmed they demanded a ransom of N5 million but were only able to collect N300, 000. “We have spent some of the money,” he admitted.
Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Eleweran, Mr Wale Abass, confirmed that detectives have recovered the remains of the seven year old and the corpse deposited at the mortuary of the General Hospital, Abeokuta.
The father of the victim, Alhaji Abdul Lamidi Musa said, “it was a shock and surprise when the police detectives arrested my brother Faruq Shehu as the mastermind of the kidnap of my son.”
Musa who is still waiting for the police to release the corpse of his son to him for burial told Saturday Sun, “I want justice to be done.”
According to Commissioner of Police Ebrimson, the suspects will soon be charged to court.