20th September, 2012
Two suspected kidnappers, Kehinde Adeyemo, 31, and his accomplice called Tunde, 26, are being interrogated by the police at Pen Cinema Division, Agege, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, following their failed attempt to take hostage a Lagos State Polytechnic student, Miss Tunmise Bodagba.
P.M.NEWS learnt that on the day of the incident, the suspects met Tunmise, a Higher Diploma, HND1 student of Lagos Polytechnic along Agege railway line on her way to see her brother at Odejobi Street, Agege.
Kehinde and Tunde allegedly asked Tunmise to direct them to a street they claimed they did not know. As she was talking, the suspects stole her money and phone and compelled her to follow them quietly or else they would kill her.
Tumise was later seized and taken to their hideout along the railway line but while they were attempting to rape her, she managed to escape.
Narrating her ordeal, Tunmise said: “I was going to my brother’s place when I ran into the two bad boys. They pretended to be strangers and asked me to direct them to a street. As I tried to describe the address, they ordered me to surrender the phone and money on me. I gave them N5,000 and my Nokia phone. They took it and led me to their hideout where I was for about 1 hour. I escaped when they wanted to rape.”
The suspects denied being armed robbers, saying: “We kidnap people to collect money from them. We then release our captives. We could not get employment from any company. But we did not rape the complainant.”
Tunmise’s uncle, Babatunde Adedeji, corroborated her story that he was expecting her at his house. But when she did not come in good time, he called her phone which was switched off.
“I became worried that I could not get her. But suddenly, she ran inside and demanded for olive oil to drink. When I asked her what happened, she narrated how she was held hostage and the suspects attempted to rape her.
“I followed her to trace the two men, when they saw me, they pounced on me, beat me up and injured me.”
He said he raised an alarm which led to the arrest of the suspects.
A police source at Pen Cinema division who does not want his name mentioned confirmed the incident, adding that the suspects are being interrogated and will be charged to court after investigation.
—Oluwole Adeboye