Three suspects arrested as Edo police rescue children kidnapped from Lagos

The Edo police command says its operatives have rescued two children who were kidnapped from their residence in Lagos and taken to Benin city in Edo state.

Kontongs Bello, the Edo police spokesman, in a statement, said the police arrested two suspects in connection with the crime, along with the children’s nanny who allegedly planned the abduction.

The children were said to have been abducted on August 23, from Surulere area of Lagos.

The three suspects were identified as “Precious Mmaduike ‘F’ (21), Jane Osas ‘F’ (35) and John Obasu (45)”.

“The abduction was planned and executed by their housemaid. Precious Mmaduike ‘F’ used her familiarity with the children as househelp [and] abducted them from Lagos to Benin City, Edo state,” the statement reads.

According to Bello, the father of the children said they were given N500 by his wife to buy biscuits outside the compound in the company of the nanny, but failed to return.

He said the phone of the nanny was later switched off and efforts to find the children proved abortive.

Bello said the father reported the situation to the Aguda police station in Lagos, where it was discovered that the last location of the nanny before she switched off her mobile phone was Benin city, Edo state.

“With the aid of the information gathered from the origin of the abduction and field assets, the abducted children were rescued on 26/08/2021 at about 1730hrs by the operatives of the Edo State Police Command, Benin city, in a very remote area at Upper Ekewan road, Benin City, with the housemaid and a woman she came to visit with the children,” Kontongs said.

“The housemaid who met the woman on the internet claimed that the two children belonged to her and they came to Benin city for visit, but unknown to the woman, the children are not for her.

“The woman had bought gift items and other properties for the children and is currently with the police.”

Bello added that the commissioner of police urged members of the public to continue to provide useful information to the police about criminals and their activities.