The family of five-year-old Memunah Abdulrahman, who wa abducted by an unknown man in Lagos State’s Ejigbo area, has confirmed that the State Criminal Investigation Department has now taken over the investigation following a detailed report by The PUNCH.
The PUNCH had earlier reported, on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, that the family sought public assistance in locating their missing child.
Memunah was reportedly kidnapped on March 9, 2025, from a neighborhood store in Ejigbo. She and her sister had stopped there while returning home from Islamic school.
According to reports, the suspect approached them at the store and lured them inside under the pretense of purchasing items.
While pretending to buy things for them, the man suddenly fled with Memunah, abandoning her sister behind.
The case was first reported at the Ejigbo Divisional Police Headquarters, where officers reviewed CCTV footage that captured the suspect as he made off with the child.
In response to the media coverage, the Lagos State Police Command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the Commissioner of Police, Owohunwa Jimoh, had ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the SCID in Yaba.
“The CP has ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, and is hopeful that a breakthrough will be recorded soon,” Hundeyin stated.
Confirming the new development on Saturday, community secretary Ojagbemi Takuro, who spoke on behalf of the family, told The PUNCH that detectives from the SCID visited the area on Friday to commence preliminary investigations.
“They (the detectives) came to the community on Friday. The parents followed them to the SCID after the order was given by the CP. We thank the CP for coming to our aid.
“When the officers came on Friday, they visited the store where the abduction occurred. This is because the CCTV camera in the store showed the suspect fleeing with the girl,” Takuro said.
Before police authorities escalated the case, Memunah’s father, Alimi, lamented the toll the search had taken on the family, both emotionally and financially, and appealed to the public for help.
“We need help. We are pleading with anyone who recognises the suspect to come forward. Our daughter is only five years old, and we desperately need any assistance to bring her home,” he said.
This troubling incident came just days after police disclosed another abduction case involving the daughter of a landlord and another man, taken by suspected kidnappers around 9 p.m. on March 26, 2025, in the Ijede area of Lagos State.
