Woman escapes lynching for attempting to kidnap kid at late Bola Ige’s house

RESIDENTS of Bola Ige area of Oke Ado, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Saturday, almost lynched an aged woman suspected to be a kidnapper and human parts seller, but for the timely arrival of police officers.

An eyewitness, Mr Jamiu Ogunwemimo, told Sunday Tribune that he was preparing to step out of home at 12.33 p.m., when he saw the woman sitting comfortably within the premises of the house that belongs to the late political icon, Chief Bola Ige, but acted like he did not see her.

Jamiu’s curiosity was aroused when another person asked what the woman wanted, to which she purportedly responded that the man upstairs, (Jamiu), had given her permission to stay there for a while.

Shocked by what he heard, he dashed down to where the woman was, in the midst of some children, with biscuits in her hands, only to find that she had handed over a pack to one of the kids.

Fuming, Jamiu said only three days ago, a man, who pretended to be mad, was at the same spot suspiciously begging for money.

“We know the extent to which desperate people go these days. So, we are suspicious of any strange face. When this woman said I had allowed her to sit where she was with the children, I immediately became suspicious because three days ago, a man was caught here trying to kidnap some children,” he said.

Before he got down from the stairs, others persons had accosted the woman.  “When we approached the woman, she immediately smashed her phone on the floor because we wanted to seize it. When we searched her wallet, we found a small book in which she wrote things that one would think she is a tailor,” another witness who did not want his name in print, said.

When the wallet was  further searched, a book in which was written dates, prices  of round neck, V neck, polo, long and, short sleeve as well as X-large, American Khaki, and so on, as well as prices which  ranged from N18,000 to N80,000, was found.

“These are coded words for human parts,” shouted a woman, who tasked these reporters to help them report this before the lady’s clients moved in to set her free.

“We know she would be freed, but we are telling the police that we can recognise her face and if she comes here again, we will lynch her.”

Amid groans, the battered woman said she was a trader and that she did not plan to kidnap anyone. “I was only resting,” she said.

But she refused to give her names, as she hopped into the police vehicle.

Police officer, Oguche Michael, told Sunday Tribune that the station was radioed that there was a gathering at the Bola Ige  area and that they should ensure that peace was maintained.

“We were not told that it was a kidnap report. We were only told to come and ensure that peace reigned here. We are taking her and the man who was said to have spotted her in the house as she attempted to do what she did,” he said.

A minor incident, however, drew the ire of the mob when an officer seized the phone of a reporter for taking pictures of the officers and the lady alleged to be the kidnapper, until Mr Oguche waded in. The crowd had, by then, used foul words to address the officer that snatched the phone from the reporter