For Gabriel Ogunsawe, engaging
in crime seemed the easiest way to come out of his unpleasant situations as he
joined a notorious kidnap gang that specialises in kidnapping little children
from church.
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.
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)
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