The Lagos State Police Command has taken into custody a 32-year-old painter, Chigozie Clement, accused of abducting his client’s seven-year-old child in the Ketu Alapere area of Lagos.
According to a statement released by the command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, on Thursday, the suspect reportedly lured the boy from his home on Monday and later contacted the victim’s mother, demanding N7 million for the child’s release.
Hundeyin explained that the child’s father initially lodged the complaint at the Alapere Police Division, after which the case was handed over to Special Squad I for thorough investigation. Detectives eventually tracked the painter to Ijegun, where he was arrested and the boy safely rescued.
The statement partly read:
“On August 25, 2025, the victim’s father reported at the Alapere Police Division that his son had been taken away from his house without his consent by his painter. Shortly after, the suspect called the victim’s mother, demanding the sum of N7,000,000 as ransom for the child’s release.
Following the report, the case was transferred to the Special Squad I of the Lagos State Police Command for a discreet investigation. On August 27, 2025, operatives traced the suspect to Ijegun, Lagos, where he was arrested, and the seven-year-old victim was rescued unhurt from a locked room where he had been held captive. The victim has since been reunited with his family.”
Hundeyin added that Clement admitted to the act during interrogation, saying he turned to kidnapping as a means to raise money for his family needs.
He further noted that the suspect would soon be arraigned in court, while investigations are ongoing to determine whether he worked with accomplices.
“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Olohundare Jimoh, reassures Lagos residents that the command will continue to deploy all available resources to combat crimes,” the statement concluded.
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