The Lagos State Police Command has arrested four women for allegedly
abducting and selling a nine-year-old girl, identified simply as Blessing, for
N650,000.
The women are Fausat Ogidan, Abibat Oresanya, Bola Obajuruwa and Idiyat
Abass.
It was gathered that the women were apprehended on Sunday, June 6, after
a tip-off.
The state Commissionerof Police, Umar Manko, had directed the command’s
Special Anti-Robbery Squad, led by SP Abba Kyari, to go after the child
sellers’ syndicate.
Ogidan, who was with the nine-year-old girl, and collected the sum on
behalf of others, was arrested in the Gbagada area of Lagos.
It was learnt that the 51-year-old woman, who is married with four
children, had arranged to sell the girl and on that Sunday.
Further investigations revealed that the girl was given to Ogidan by
Obajuruwa, commonly known as Iya Alaje, who lives in the Suberu Street, Alakuko
area of Lagos.
Iya Alaje also confessed that she had told Ogidan to sell the girl for
N350,000 before she was caught.
She said, “I used to sell herbs in the Agege Market. I told Fausat
(Ogidan) to sell the girl forN350,000, but Fausat added N300,000 as her own
profit. The girl was sold to me by Idiyat (Abass) and her elder sister, Abibat.
“I bought her from them for N130,000. They said they were going to give
the money to the girl’s mother who wanted to get rid of her because of
poverty.”
Obajuruwa, when arrested, had led the police to Abass and Oresanya, who
got the girl from her parents and connived to sell her.
It was further learnt that Abass, a 48-year-old woman, who was living in
the Salau Dogo Street, Ibafo area of Ogun State, had obtained the girl from her
mother, who the police said was still at large.
It was gathered that Oresanya claimed that Blessing’s mother had wanted
to dispose of her and use the money obtained to take care of her other
children.
However, during interrogation, Blessing, who said her real name was
Yetunde, told the police that she was kidnapped from their residence in Ibadan.
On a visit Obajuruwa’s residence in Alakuko, her octogenarian mother
said she had yet to find out what the police arrested her daughter for.
She said, “I just heard that policemen from Agege Police Division had
come to take her away. I don’t know why she is being detained by them. I have
yet to know her offence.”
Another relative, who identified herself simply as Funmi, claimed that
Obajuruwa gave out Blessing, who was her grandchild, to a customer to assist in
home chores.
She said,“There are about seven to eight children in this house. They
are all Iya Alaje’s grandchildren. So, it happened that when one of her
customers put to bed recently. She pleaded with mama to give her someone to
assist her. Iya Alaje took Blessing, her seven-year-old granddaughter, to be
staying with her. The second day, Blessing ran away from that house, and told
the people who saw her that she had been kidnapped by the customer.
“That was why the police arrested mama and the customer, saying they kidnapped
the girl.”
Investigations were ongoing at the SARS on the matter.
The Lagos State Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, promised to get back,
but had yet to do so as of the time of going to the press.
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