A university graduate and two other suspects were on Wednesday paraded by the Lagos State Police Command, following their arrest, by a tip off from a seven-year-old victim.
The graduate of Economics of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Gbenga Sholaja; Olalekan Benjamin and Samson Shomorin, who specialise in kidnapping little boys, were arrested by men of the Igando Police Division and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, Lagos.
The victim (name withheld) was said to have been held hostage at Benjamins fathers house at Ikotun, Lagos.
The child, who was later released after ransom was paid by his parents, was said to have memorised the house address where he was kept. It was the child who led police officers to the same house where Benjamin was arrested.
Sholaja, who wept profusely during his interview, told our source that he was pushed by unemployment into kidnapping. He said, I have a Second Class Upper (Division) in Accounting and have completed my National Youth Service Corps programme.
I went into kidnapping because since I finished my NYSC in 2011, I have been unable to get a job.
An ex-convict, who was remanded in prison for kidnapping three years ago, Benjamin, said he met Sholaja at OOU while he was trying to gain admission into the school.
He said, I was a casual worker at a factory in 2007 before I was sacked; I earned N300 per day. After staying idle for some months, I met a friend, Muyiwa, we were carriers of frozen fish at Apapa. He introduced me to Taofeeq.
One day, Taofeeq brought a small boy to my house and asked me to take care of him. He claimed that the boy was his younger brother; he was about seven years old. The boy stayed in my house with my family and was well taken care of for four days. Taofeeq even sent money for his upkeep.
When Taofeeq went to collect N150, 000 ransom, he was arrested by SARS and he led them to my house. We were charged and sent to prison in November 2009. In September 2010, we were released because the complainant refused to show up in court.
Benajmin and his wife, upon his release, then moved to his fathers house at Ikotun area of the state. In 2010, he was said to have met Sholaja in OOU, where he went to write the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
The 30-year-old claimed that Sholaja invited him to take part in another kidnapping; he said Sholaja had read about Benjamins arrest in the newspapers…….
