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RIVERS, Nigeria - A distressed father, Ogunsinasi Oluwaseyi, has sought assistance to free his 12-year-old daughter, who has been in captivity for eight months.
During a press conference, Oluwaseyi recounted that his daughter, Favour Oluwaseyi, was abducted in Obio/Akpor Local Council of Rivers State on August 7, 2024.
The 44-year-old father revealed that a female neighbor lured his daughter out of their home during the day.
He explained that the neighbor led his unsuspecting daughter to a strange man, who immediately took her away in a tricycle after making contact with her.
As the father of four, he appealed to Nigerians for help in obtaining the release of his kidnapped daughter. Describing the events that led to the abduction, he said, “On August 7, 2024, I was at work when my wife called to tell me that our daughter was missing. I was taken aback because that was the last thing I anticipated.
“My wife mentioned that she was watching television in the living room with the other children and a friend of our kidnapped daughter when she stepped out to use the toilet. When she returned, both girls were missing. She searched the neighboring apartment but found nothing. After checking outside and not locating them, she raised the alarm.
“About an hour later, my daughter’s friend was spotted running back. My wife inquired, ‘Where is your friend Favour? You both were watching TV in the sitting room.’ The friend explained that Favour followed a strange man.
They initially followed him, but when she asked Favour if she knew him, Favour didn’t reply, prompting her to turn back.
“On that day, we searched everywhere but couldn’t locate her. I even called one of my brothers for assistance, but Favour was nowhere to be found.”
He also recounted that the kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of N200,000, which was later lowered to N100,000. Despite paying the ransom, they still refused to release his daughter
In a surprising turn of events, police investigations uncovered that the phone number and bank account used by the kidnappers were traced back to a correctional facility in Enugu.
A suspect was identified and questioned, but he became hostile and refused to cooperate further.
Ogunsinasi added that the number linked to the bank account receiving the ransom was also connected to Enugu prison, suggesting that someone within the facility was orchestrating the operation.
“When we arrived at the prison, the suspect’s picture was shown to one of the wardens, who identified him.
The police interrogated him, and though he initially cooperated, he denied having access to a phone. When reminded of a video call he had with his wife from within the prison, he confessed to having a personal phone.
“The police requested that he produce the phone and assigned a warder to accompany him. Upon their return, it appeared the warder had instructed him, as he suddenly became aggressive and began yelling at the police.
He even refused to sign the previous statement he had given. A senior prison official backed him, asserting he could not be forced to sign, and we were asked to leave.”
In the meantime, the Rivers State Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) condemned the alleged protection of a kidnap suspect by officials of the Enugu Correctional Facility.
Chairman of Rivers CSOs, Comrade Enefaa Georgewill, urged the Inspector General of Police and the Controller-General of the Nigeria Correctional Service to intervene and unveil the suspect.
According to Georgewill, it is unfortunate that criminals are reportedly using correctional centres as safe havens to carry out illegal activities, and the alleged shielding of the suspect by prison officials is unacceptable.
The CSOs expressed their dismay over the resistance from correctional facility officials during the police's efforts to apprehend the suspect, despite his identity being confirmed.
They called on authorities to take immediate action to prevent further criminal activities originating from correctional institutions.
In response, the management of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) denied involvement in the incident. The agency's spokesperson, Abubakar Umar, labeled the allegations as false, malicious, and unfounded, aimed at misguiding the public.
The NCoS stressed that its Enugu State Command has no inmate named ‘Chiboy’ and declared that it was unaware of any kidnapping incident in Rivers State or elsewhere, denying any link to ransom payments or transactions in the case.
Umar reaffirmed the NCoS’ dedication to security and collaboration with other agencies but pointed out that no requests for investigations regarding the incident had been received.
Additionally, the NCoS mentioned that Enefaa Georgewill, who purportedly spoke to the press, had not visited any of its facilities to confirm his claims.
The agency also urged media outlets to verify their reports before publication to prevent spreading misleading information that could damage its reputation.
