The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 32-year-old painter, Chigozie Clement, for allegedly abducting his customer’s seven-year-old son in the Ketu Alapere area of the state.
The command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement on Thursday, said the suspect lured the boy from his home on Monday before contacting the child’s mother to demand a ransom of N7 million.
The boy’s father reported the incident to the Alapere Police Division, after which the case was transferred to the command’s Special Squad I for discreet investigation.
Detectives later tracked the suspect to the Ijegun area, where Clement was arrested and the child rescued from a locked room.
“The seven-year-old victim was rescued unhurt and has since been reunited with his family,” Hundeyin said, adding that the suspect confessed to the crime, claiming he needed money to meet family needs.
The police further disclosed that Clement would be charged in court, while investigations continue to determine if he acted alone or had accomplices.
The Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, assured Lagos residents that the command would continue to deploy resources to curb crime across the state.