Photo: How We Kidnap Children In Churches For Ransom- Kidnapper Confesses

According to the 26-year-old father of one, who is currently
cooling off in one of the dreaded cells at the State Criminal Intelligence and
Investigations Department, SCIID, Panti, Yaba, Lagos; he had participated in
three different kidnappings of children. He stated that his first operation was
successful but luck ran out on him on his second attempt.  He was arrested, arraigned in court and
remanded in Kirikiri prisons for about a year. But no sooner than he got his
freedom, he took to the same crime again, he was never twice lucky. Continue…

Speaking to Crime Guard, Ogunsawe said: “I am from Ijebu-Ode
in Ogun State.  I am a National Diploma,
Accounting student of Lagos State Polytechnic. I was arrested because I was
involved in the kidnap of a young child of about four years from Amazing Grace
Church in Palm groove area. I was introduced into kidnapping business by a
friend called Olayinka.

“I have known him for over six years.   It was Olayinka who came up with the
kidnapping idea.   My role was to collect
the ransom from the parents of the victim. This is not the first time we have
engaged in kidnapping of little children.  
In fact, I have engaged in three kidnappings.   The first one was successful while the last
two were not.

I was arrested after the second kidnapping while attempting
to cash the ransom at the bank but my friend Olayinka, escaped. I was in
Kirikiri for almost a year before I was released. When I returned from prison,
I was jobless when Olayinka came and lured me into it again.

Their mode of operation

“Normally,  Olayinka
goes into any church of his choice on Sunday morning, sits like a member inside
the church and monitors the activities and movement of worshippers in the
church.   When he is certain that he can
lure a child out of the church premises unnoticed,  he quickly lures the child with biscuit or
toys.  After successfully abducting the
victims, he takes them to another big church located very far from the church
where the children were kidnapped.

We never killed or sold any child. We only keep the child
for a day and ensure we get whatsoever ransom we need to get from the victim’s
parents.   We ensure that we get the
ransom first thing on Monday morning before the child will be seen. He abandons
a large envelope addressed to the pastor in the church with a phone number.
Once they contact us through the number,  
we send  bank details to the
parents of the victim.

“The first kidnap operation was in a Redeemed Christian
Church in Shomolu area and it was successful.  
We were paid N300,000 but Olayinka gave me N70,000 only, as he said we
incurred some expenses, that was why he took the larger sum.
Unfortunately,  the second operation was
unsuccessful as I was arrested, arraigned in court and remanded in prison from
June 2013 to January 10 2014.

Honestly,  I didn’t
need anyone to tell me to stay away from crime after my release from the prison
but I didn’t have a choice.   When I was
released, I started squatting with my cousin, Akorede, in Akilo Street close to
Lady-Lak area.  That was after I was
ejected from the rented apartment where I lived because I was unable to pay the
rent. My wife and son had to go live with her parents in Ota.

“This last operation, Olayinka initially, asked the victim’s
parents to pay N700,000 but, they said they will pay N250,000.   They later sent N3,000 airtime to
Olayinka.   He transferred N1,500 to my
line the next day after I confronted him for collecting the ransom behind me.
Because I was broke, I transferred N750 to my cousin Akorede, who I was
squatting with.

We used an old registered line of mine for the
transaction.   It was that line that he
used to transfer the air time to my main line. 
It was through the transferred airtime that Akorede was arrested,  unknown to me. It was through his sister,
Jumoke,  that   I was eventually arrested while I was
sharing handbill.   Akorede and his
sister Jumoke,  are innocent and know
nothing about the kidnap.

“I have a son who is about three years seven months old and
I won’t want him to be kidnapped because I know the trauma we subject the
families to when we kidnap their children. There was a time when I had to speak
with the mother of the child we kidnapped. 
I could feel her pain and broken heart from her voice.

My wife doesn’t know that I am into kidnapping business. My
mum is late but my father is alive.  He
doesn’t care.  I am married and I am a
tiler. To my wife, I am very sorry to put you through all this shame and
disappointment. My family members are all disappointed.   No one has come to see me since I was
arrested.  Right now, I feel so bad about
my actions, but I was so desperate to get out my unpleasant situation,” he
stated.

Vanguard