A bricklayer is currently in hot soup after he was caught trying to strangle a four year old girl in the oyero area of Ekiti in Nigeria.
The suspected child abductor, Ola Ibidapo, had held his victim, Tola by neck and was about to strangle her in an umcompleted building when he was caught by passerby,Ektnews reports.
In his confession statement, the suspect who hails from Ado-ekiti, Ekiti State, revealed that he has also stolen a four year-old boy around Odofin area sometime in January and sold him to a man in Ifaki-ekiti for ₦2500.
He was beaten to pulp by mob before he was subsequently handed over to operatives of the special anti-robbery Squad of Oyero police division.
Tola and her 11 year-old sister, Opeyemi, were said to be on their way to church in Oyero-ekiti around 2pm on Thursday along side their father, Segun Alabi.
Mr. Alabi was said to have gone some distance ahead, when the suspect ambushed the children and abducted Tola.
The Victim’s sister, Opeyemi reportedly raised alarm which caught the attention of some passerby and suspect was reportedly caught in an uncompleted building while trying to strangle the girl.
He said, I am a bricklayer but i used child abduction to augment my wages. A man in Ifaki-ekiti contracted me to always get children for him, i dont know what he uses them for, Last two months i abducted a boy four year old and sold to the man ₦2500.
The girl Eniola will be the second i will abduct but i didn’t succed.
The Victim father said he and the children were already late for church on that day which make him to walk faster than them.
He said the incident happened around 2pm on Thursday, we had a programme in our church and we were late. since Opeyemi older I thought they should be able to find their way to the church.
I had gone some distance ahead when some people called me that Opeyemi and her sister had been abducted, she said the abductor escaped with Tola to an uncompleted building, she led us there we met him hodling her by her neck.
Meanwhile the Police revealed that they are currently on the trail to apprehend the buyer of the abducted children.
The suspect had confessed to the crime and state that he sells his victims to a man in Ifaki area of Ekiti State. But he has yet to mention the name of the kingpin. some operatives followed him to the area twice but he didn’t lead them to the man’s house, we are going to ensure we track him down the source said.
The Ekiti State acting Police Relations Officer, AS, Ayinde Olanbimpe, said is a case of suspected child stealing. The police were able to arrest the suspect with the help of residents.
The commissioner of police, Ahmed Yusuf, has directed that the suspect should be transferred to command headquarters for a thorough investigation.
