Operatives of Lagos State Police Command have foiled a kidnap attempt at an undisclosed primary school in the Ijegun area of the state following the arrest of a suspected gang member.
The police rescued a kindergarten student and two pupils during the incident on Monday, March 11, 2024.
The suspects were said to have positioned their operational motorcycles close to the school premises, waiting for other members who went inside to get their targets.
The spokesperson for the state Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the arrest.
Hundeyin said the rescued pupils are identified as Sofiat, four years old; Israel, five years old and Mustapha, six years old, adding that they had reunited with their families.
Hundeyin said, ”At about 3.30 pm, on March 11, 2024, the headmaster of a school situated in the Ijegun area of Lagos, reported at Area ‘M’ Command, that some unknown persons invaded the school and abducted three pupils in the school premises.
“Upon the information, detectives swung into action and led a formidable team to the scene of the crime.
”Furthermore, the culprits were given a hot chase, where one Akintola Alima, a 40-year-old woman, who kidnapped the three pre-nursery children was arrested and the children were rescued.
“However, other unknown suspects escaped with an unregistered motorcycle on sighting the police”.
He said that the suspect was in police custody, saying, “ investigation revealed that she abducted the children for criminal purposes and she had a standby motorcycle now at large, which was waiting for her to escape with the children before she was apprehended. The investigation is still ongoing.”
In recent times, the rate of kidnappings has increased across the country. This, however, has extended to school children.
On March 6, gunmen abducted scores of schoolchildren in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Barely 48 hours later, bandits reportedly kidnapped no fewer than 15 Tsangaya students at Gidan Bakuso area of Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
