Pregnant woman, 5 others arrested over kidnap of 5-yr-old

Residents of a neighbourhood in Ile-Ife in Osun State were astounded when they learnt that one of them, Falope Aarinola, who is eight months pregnant, was a member of a kidnap gang who allegedly abducted a five-year-old boy at Ipetu Ijesa, a nearby town.

Aarinola and five others were arrested by the Osun State Police Command in connection with the kidnap of one Ojo Adegboyega from his father’s house.

Crime Reports learnt that the kidnap gang worked with some members of the victim’s family to achieve their plan.

Speaking with Crime Reports during a parade of the suspects on Friday, the state Commissioner of Police, Olafimihan Adeoye, disclosed that the victim’s father reported on December 21, at 2:00pm, that unknown hoodlums came to his house in Ipetu-Ijesa and abducted his five-year-old son, Ojo Adegboyega. He further revealed that his son was released on December 26 after he paid a ransom of N550,000.

According to CP Adeoye, “on December 27, the team of detectives tracked the hidden phone number the suspects used to call the victim’s father, leading to the arrest of Falope Lateef (43), Sunday Akinboye (35), Tope Akinboye (37), Idowu Adewole (43), Arinola Falope ‘f’ (26) all residing at Ile-Ife, Osun State and Adebisi Victoria (20) from Ipetu-Ijesa. The suspects confessed to committing the crime and efforts are ongoing to arrest the fleeing suspects.”

In an interview with Crime Reports, Aarinola,admitted being part of the planning and execution of the victim’s kidnap.

According to her, “we abducted a five-year-old boy from Ipetu Ijesa. I worked with my brothers, Sunday and Tope Akinboye and relations of the victim’s father, Dammy and Alex.

“Alex told my brother, Sunday that his brother, the victim’s father, was stingy and he needed to get money from him through the kidnap of the boy. My brother informed me and asked me to follow them to the place. I went with them and we kidnapped the boy. He was kept in my house for four days before his release when his father paid a ransom of N550,000. I was given N30,000.

“My husband was not aware of the kidnap plan until the child was brought to our house. He was angry when I told him and said he would not allow the child in his house. But I pleaded with him that he should be patient till a ransom is paid. My brothers, Sunday and Tope were the one who went to collect the ransom. My husband was given N15,000.”

Aarinola’s brother, Sunday Akinboye (35), who said he was a prophet in a white garment church, told Crime Reports that he was contacted by Dammy, his stepdaughter, who is married to the brother of the victim’s father, and one Alex.

“I contacted Tope, Ope and my sister. We went with two toy guns to the victim’s house in Ipetu Ijesa after Alex told us that his father had gone out. I called the father after the kidnap and demanded N10 million as ransom. The father said he could only afford N550,000.

“I arranged where he would bring the money to at Ajia Village in Ibadan. He dropped the money and we took the child back to Ipetu-Ijesa early the following day to a mosque and contacted the family. I got N150,000 as my share.”

Also, Aarinola’s husband, Falope Lateef Olusola (43), who was arrested, confessed to collecting part of the ransom though he was part of the plan to kidnap the boy

“I am an okada rider and also have a barbing salon. My first wife had four children for me but we are separated. It is the new wife I just got who put me in this current trouble. Penultimate Wednesday, my wife called and said her brother wanted to see me. I went home and saw her with her two brothers and one boy. They told me they wanted to keep the boy with my wife to take care of him. I said there was no problem since they were my in-laws. I went back to work.

“It was when I returned home later that my wife explained how the boy was kidnapped through a plan by my brother-in-law’s stepdaughter, Dammy, and one Alex. Dammy was married to the younger brother of the victim’s father.

“I was angry, asking how she could do that when she was also carrying a child. I told her to tell her brother to take the child away, but she was adamant. I would have sent her away before this incident if not that she is pregnant. This is because she is too stubborn.

“Four days later, they took the child away. Some days, after, the brothers called me and gave me N15,000 to celebrate the Yuletide. They told me they had collected ransom from the victim’s father.”

When asked why he did not reject it if he was not in support of the action of his wife and in-laws, Olusola replied: “You know that for someone destined for trouble, if such a person is sleeping, he will wake up and approach the trouble himself.” The suspect also admitted that he had become an accomplice by collecting part of the ransom as his share.

Adebisi Victoria Damilola a.k.a Dammy (20) however denied being the one who suggested the kidnap idea, saying it was her stepfather, Akinboye, who called her to say that he wanted to kidnap a child in her husband’s family.

“Akinboye is my stepfather and I didn’t tell anyone because he threatened to kill me if I did. He also informed my mother but I think he also threatened her; that was why both of us did not tell anyone,” Dammy said. She also stated that she did not take from the ransom collected by the gang. She however admitted that she was at home the day the victim was kidnapped.