For three years, the Brown family were kept in the dark as to their daughter's whereabouts until she was rescued by personnel attached to the Lagos State Police Command and her abductor who turned out to be the victim's fathers tenant was arrested.
The suspect who was identified as 37-year-old Ajibola Idowu, a satellite dish installer, was arrested for allegedly kidnapping the daughter of his landlord, Module Brown, kept her in captivity for three years and impregnated her.
Confirming the arrest, the state Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Damasus Ozoani, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said the victim’s parents had for three years searched mortuaries, hospitals, police stations and churches for her all to no avail.
Ozoani said the suspect was arrested along with his mother, Ebun Idowu, who conspired with him to commit the dastardly act.
He said, "The victim, a 400-level student of Business Administration at the Lagos State University, Modupe Brown, was kidnapped by one Ajibola Idowu and kept her in captivity with his family for three years between 2010 and 2013.
“On September 19, 2013, policemen from Area E Command, went to Sagamu area of Ogun State to rescue the victim and also arrested the mother of the abductor, who watched over the victim. The abductor was later arrested in Idumota area of Lagos Island.
“During the three years, Ajibola kept the victim in three locations in Oshogbo in Osun State where she spent six months; Bariga in Lagos, where she spent six months; and Sagamu, Ogun State, where she spent about two years.
“Ajibola forcefully impregnated Modupe while in captivity and she gave birth to a baby girl who later became deformed as a result of the abductor’s refusal to have the baby immunised against Polio.”
While speaking, the victim said she was abducted from her father’s house in the Ebute Meta area of Lagos State.
She said, “I can't even remember how it happened but he held me captive for three years. I was probably under a spell. He denied me access to medical care when I was pregnant so the baby was delivered at home.
“Also, when state officials came to the area to immunise children, he said he would not allow the child to be immunised on the pretext that drugs had been poisoned."
She said it was that day she first made an attempt to escape but was threatened with death by her abductor, forcing her to stay back.
The victim’s father, Mr. Idowu Brown, said they were shocked when the identity of the abductor was revealed as they had no idea that it was their tenant that was behind their ordeal.
He said, “I never knew it was Ajibola that kidnapped my daughter. He was my tenant for six years and greeted me every day. We even used to share jokes. He was aware that I had been looking for my daughter for three years but he never said anything.
“When we could not find her, I reported the matter at FESTAC Police Division and we continued to pray. Last month, we heard from our daughter for the first time.
"She told us that she was in Sagamu and my wife went there and met Ajibola’s mother. That was how we found out that he was the one behind the whole thing.”
But the suspect and the mother outrightly denied abducting the victim, adding that it was a case of eloping gone sour.
According to the suspect, the plan to elope was hatched by Modupe, who paid allegedly N200, 000 of her final year project money into his bank account, adding that he could not understand why she would make such allegations against him.
He said, “I did not kidnap her, we were lovers and decided to elope. Even when she was at my house, she used to make calls to her relatives telling them that she was alright."
Corroborating his story, his mother said the duo were in a relationship. She said, " I never got involved in their matter until the child was born. I went to stay with them for about seven months to take care of the child, who was very ill.
"Few months after I left, they moved in with me at my three-bedroom house at Sagamu because they had been evicted. We were all together until the day her mother came to my house with policemen to arrest me."
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