This allegation was made by 19-year-old Bolanle Fasasi against Daniel Olumide Oke, whom police said was kidnapped from his parents’ home at Ikotun, Lagos State by his next door neighbor, Quandri Raymond.
The victim was moved from Ikotun to Ikorodu area of the state to stay with Bolanle.
According to Bolanle, Daniel, who was quite friendly with his abductor, Raymond, had confided in her while he was in her home that he and Raymond planned his kidnap, so that his father could give Raymond some money.
Bolanle’s allegation however sharply contradicted the story of Raymond, her boyfriend, and police detectives who had been working the case.
Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, explained that two weeks ago, a case of kidnapping was reported at Ikotun Police Station.
When the parents of the boy could not find him, they raised the alarm.
One of their neigbours told them that he saw the missing boy with Raymond.
When 24-year-old Raymond returned home late that night, the parents asked him if he had seen their son, but he denied.
The case was later transferred to the Special Anti-robbery Squad, Ikeja, where under intense interrogation; Raymond caved in and confessed to have kidnapped his little friend.
Braide said: “While the parents of the child were looking for him, Raymond had already moved the boy to his girlfriend’s place at Ikorodu.
“When he returned to the compound, he repeatedly denied knowing the whereabouts of the Daniel.
“When SARS got involved in the matter, he confessed and took policemen to where he kept the boy at Ikorodu.
“He told policemen that he was going to demand for a ransom of N2 million from his victim’s parents before his arrest.
“My fear however is that he would have killed the boy, just as one Patrick Onyeka killed a little boy at the Ikotun area some fews ago because he knew the late boy would recognize and point him out to his parents and police as his abductor.
“Raymond would have killed Daniel too because he knew Daniel would have told his parents that he kidnapped him.”
Raymond, who runs a match viewing centre at the Ikotun area of Lagos, said he decided to kidnap the boy because he was financially down.
He however vehemently said that he would never hurt Daniel for anything in the world.
His words: “Daniel and I left home together to Ikorodu.
“I told him that we were going somewhere.
“I called my girlfriend that I was bringing somebody, but I didn’t tell her who.
“It was when I got there that I told her about the kidnap plan and how I wanted to raise N2 million from Daniel’s parents.
“Daniel stayed with her for three days.
“If his parents had given me the money, I would not have killed him, whether he recognized me or not!
“My plan was to buy him a lot of stuff, a sort of a bribe and beg him not to tell his parents that I was the person that kidnapped him.”
Even after listening to her lover’s narration, Bolanle still maintained that the kidnap plan was hatched between Raymond and Daniel.
According to her, her parents were separated and she stays with her mother and three other siblings.
But during the period that Daniel stayed with her, her mother was not in town.
She was all alone at home with her three younger siblings and thus was in charge of the house.
Bolanle, a hairdresser, said: “Raymond never told me that he kidnapped the boy.
“In fact, he had once introduced the boy to me as his younger brother.
“The next day after he brought the boy to my house was on Monday and I didn’t see Raymond.
“I became worried because Daniel was missing school.
“I called Raymond’s number repeatedly but his sister was the person who kept picking his calls.
“I kept pressing and asking Daniel if he would not be going to school that day.
“He later told me that he and Raymond planned his kidnap, so that his father would give Raymond money.”
Daniel has been reunited with his parents.
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