Police Arrest Hairdresser, Boyfriend for Kidnapping 7 Year Old

Lagos PRO, DSP Ngozi Braide

By Chiemelie Ezeobi

The Lagos State Police Command yesterday paraded a 19-year-old head dresser, Bolanle Fasasi and her 24-year-old boyfriend, Raymond Quadri for allegedly kidnapping a 7-year-old boy simply identified as Daniel at Ikotun area of Lagos.

THISDAY gathered that Quadri had kidnapped at Ikotun area of the state and had attempted to collect N2million ransom from the victim's parents before he was arrested by the police.

After luring the boy to his house, Quadri was said to hve taken him to his girlfriend’s house at Number 23, Asolo, Agric area, Ikorodu, Lagos, where the boy was kept for three days before he was rescued by detectives from the  State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Confirming the arrests, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent of Police said the police swung into action after the matter was reported at Ikotun Police Division.

She noted that from preliminary investigations in the neighbourhood, the police were able to gather from neighbours that they saw the boy last with Quadri before he went missing.

She said, "When the parents of the boy raised an alarm about the missing boy, some neighbours said they saw the boy in company of the suspect. That night, he did not come back home. The following day, he came back very late.

“When he was confronted by the parents of the lad, he denied knowing his whereabouts. The matter was then reported at Ikotun Division and he was arrested.

"Yet he still insisted he knew nothing about the boy until the matter was transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad Ikeja.  During interrogations, he later opened up and led SARS detectives to Ikorodu where the boy was found."

Raymond who confessed to the crime after a period of interrogations by SARS detectives said he planned to bribe the victim with lots of gifts to make him keep his mouth shut after he must have succeeded in collecting the N2million ransom from the boy’s parents, since the boy knows him.

He said, "I didn't have any sinister plan to harm him. All i wanted to do was collect the money and then use it to start something in life."

Meanwhile, Bolanle denied any knowledge of the kidnapping, adding that her boyfriend only brought the hoy to her house. She said she was not worried at first since she saw the boy as his brother.

She added that she became suspicious when Raymond abandoned Daniel at her house longer than necessary. She said, "He did not tell me he wanted to kidnap the boy. He left him at my place and after two days I became worried and called him but he was not picking my calls.

“Later somebody picked up the phone and I told the person that he should tell Raymond to come and pick the boy because I would be going to work. Some hours later, I saw police officers who came to arrest me and the boy.”