Police arrests suspect, reunites victims with families

The Lagos State Police Command has announced that a serial kidnap suspect has been arrested by the command and two victims reunited with their families.

The command disclosed this in a statement posted on Twitter on Sunday evening signed by the force spokesperson in Lagos, SP Benjamin Hundeyin.

The command said the 28-year-old female suspect, Joy Kolapo, was arrested in Oyo State after kidnapping her neighbour’s three-year-old son, identified only as Bright in the Ejigbo area of Lagos.

According to intelligence gathered by the police, Kolapo demanded a ransom of N55,000 from the parents of the boy and fled to Oyo after receiving payment. She took Bright at a friend’s shop in Akute before leaving the state.

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While in Oyo, Kolapo allegedly kidnapped another victim identified as Moses, seven-year-old, and demanded N20,000 as ransom for his release.

The tweet read, “Following painstaking investigation and intelligence gathering into the abduction of a three-year old boy, Bright, on October 27, 2022 in Ejigbo area of Lagos State, detectives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Lagos State Command, have arrested one serial kidnapper, Joy Kolapo ‘f’ aged 28.

“The suspect was arrested in Omi Adio area of Oyo state on November 12, 2022 with another victim, one Moses ‘m’ aged 7 whom she had kidnapped in Olopo Meta area of Oyo state.

“Investigation led to the rescue of Bright in Akute area of Ogun State same day the suspect was arrested. Further investigation revealed that the suspect was a neighbor to Bright’s parents and had received the sum of Fifty-Five Thousand Naira (N55,000) from his parents for his return.

“Thereafter, the suspect took the victim to her friend’s shop in Akute, begging her friend to babysit the child while she went shopping but never showed up again. The friend immediately notified the Police at Ojodu Abiosun Division in Akute of the abandoned child.

“The suspect then travelled down to Oyo state after leaving Akute, kidnapped another victim, one Moses, demanded and received the sum of Twenty Thousand Naira (N20,000) from his parents before she was eventually arrested.

“The boys have been rescued unhurt and reunited with their parents. Meanwhile, the suspect has since been arraigned.”