Kidnappers Use Pastor’s Son To Buy Rice, Father Pays N95,000 To Get Him Back
LAGOS – A 12-year-old boy who was kidnapped by two men and used as collateral to buy two bags of rice worth N180,000 has been reunited with his family after his father paid N95,000 to the rice seller and the police.
The boy, a Junior Secondary School (JSS-2) student, whose name was withheld for security reasons, was abducted on Friday, March 1, around 9.00 am, when he went to buy moi-moi (bean-pudding) for his family’s breakfast.
His father, Pastor Joshua Ogbonna, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the kidnappers took his son to a rice shop at Iju Ishaga, where they claimed to be his father and left him there while they took away the rice.
He said he reported the case of his missing son to the New Oko-Oba Police Division at Abule-Egba, but later received a call from another police officer at the Red House Police Station, Iju Ishaga, who told him his son was with them and accused him of stealing two bags of rice.
He said he went to the station with three policemen from New Oko-Oba and saw a CCTV footage of the kidnappers and his son at the rice shop.
He said the rice seller demanded that he pay for the rice before releasing his son, and he had to pay N90,000 for one bag of rice.
He also said he had to pay N5,000 to bail his son from the police custody.
He expressed his gratitude to God for saving his son from the kidnappers and appealed to the police to track down the culprits and bring them to justice.
He also advised parents to be vigilant and watch over their children at all times.
