The Ogun State Police Command on Tuesday said it has rescued a three-year-old girl who was kidnapped in a church in Lagos State last Sunday.
The command spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, made this known to journalists in Abeokuta.
Mr. Adejobi said the girl was seen at a church at Oke Sokori, Abeokuta. She was crying which drew the attention of members of the community.
Police detectives attached to Adigbe Division Abeokuta were called and the child was handed over to the Juvenile and Women Centre of the Police for proper care.
Mr. Adejobi said preliminary investigation revealed that the kidnappers had demanded N300,000 ransom from the victim’s parents.
“The girl was seen with a note on which their Lagos pastor’s telephone number was written possibly to locate her after the criminals’ transaction with her family,” Mr. Adejobi said. “The rescue of the girl terminated or truncated the operation of the criminals and no ransom was paid before the girl was rescued by the police.”
He said the Commissioner of Police, Val Ntomchukwu, has directed the State Intelligence Bureau of the command to carry out a thorough investigation into the matter.
“The police boss was worried that recently the command has rescued three babies who were kidnapped in other states (not Ogun State) and that it calls for proper investigation,” Mr.Adejobi said.
He added that the commissioner has however promised to discuss with his counterpart in Lagos state command on the need to tackle the recent development, plan towards curbing such and arrest the criminals who engage themselves in this criminal and inhuman act.
He said the police boss has appealed to parents and guardians and church authorities to always keep watch on the young ones in their churches and make adequate internal security arrangement in their churches to curb this menace of the new mode of operation of the criminals.
