The police in Ekiti State have rescued a girl who was abducted in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, three years ago on her way to an extramural lesson in preparation for her Senior Secondary School Examination.
The victim, who was 15 years old when she was kidnapped in March 2019, was, however, carrying an eight-month pregnancy when she was rescued on March 15, 2022.
The state Commissioner of Police, Tunde Mobayo, in a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, on Tuesday, said the police had arrested a woman, Felicia, and her son, Adewumi, in connection with the incident.
The statement read, “Investigation revealed that the victim was lured by Adewumi into his mother’s house on the fateful day she left home in 2019 and drugged.
“The victim revealed that after consuming the drugs given to her by Adewumi, she could not remember to go back home. She stated that she is now a drug addict due to the amount of drugs consumed within the period of three years.
“According to the victim, Adewumi had a series of sexual intercourse with her and on many occasions gave her to different men who had sex with her and paid him amounts ranging from N10,000 to N20,000 each time he did not have money.
“Further investigation revealed that the victim is about eight-month pregnant, but had not been registered in any health care centre or visited any hospital for antenatal care.”
The police stated that the victim had, however, been taken to the Ekiti State Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Ado Ekiti, for medical attention.
On how the teenager was abducted, Abutu said, “Sometime in March 2019, the victim left home for an extramural lesson in preparation for her SSCE, but did not return home, which was unusual of her.
“The victim’s parents subsequently reported a case of their missing daughter to the police, but all efforts made by the police and her family members to know her whereabouts proved abortive.
“However, on March 15, 2022, about three years later, the victim’s mother received credible information about her daughter’s whereabouts. She then alerted the command’s Juvenile Welfare Centre of the State Criminal Investigation Department, which then swung into action and traced the missing girl to the house of one Felicia.
“The victim was immediately rescued, while Felicia and her son, Adewumi, were arrested for further investigation.
“During interrogation, Adewumi confessed to the crime and will be charged to court alongside his mother for conspiracy, to wit abduction, rape and child exploitation.”
