How 5-year-old girl was saved from kidnappers
Written by Oluwatoyin Malik and Gboyega Adeniyi
Sunday, June 27, 2010

What could have resulted in bad blood between two neighbours was averted when an attempt to kidnap a five-year-old girl on her way back home in her parents' neighbour's car was foiled. OLUWATOYIN MALIK and GBOYEGA ADENIYI write.

[img]http://odili.net/news/source/2010/jun/27/tribune/images/feature2_27062010[1].jpg[/img]
The suspect, Tope, after he was beaten by an irate mob




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Luck recently ran out on a three-man gang of kidnappers in Ibadan when their attempt to kidnap a five-year-old pupil was foiled. While two of three criminals escaped, one of them experienced the wrath of a mob which almost snuffed life out of him through jungle justice, but for the timely intervention of policemen from Oyo State Command attached to Oluyole Division.

The target of the kidnappers, a five-year-old girl, Gloria, was in the car of her parents' neighbour, Mrs. Olajumoke Olaoke on Wednesday 9 June, 2010 when the incident occurred. According to reports, Mrs. Olaoke had gone to pick little Gloria from Juniors International School, Oluyole Area along with other children.

While on their way home, three armed men riding on a motorcycle had blocked her car along Aba Igbira, Oluyole Estate, and dragged her out, hitting her on the head with an iron rod. After injuring the woman, one of the kidnappers, forced the little girl out of the car onto the motorcycle they brought and sped off.

Shaking off the shock of the sudden attack, Mrs. Olaoke raised an alarm which prompted the people nearby to pursue the fleeing kidnappers. Divine intervention came when one of the kidnappers who was riding the motorcycle lost control along Filade Marble Area, Adeoyo State Hospital.

The little girl fell down, along with one of the criminals while the rider escaped with the motorcycle. The third suspect was nowhere to be found immediately after the operation.

The mob was without mercy when they descended on the suspected kidnapper that was caught, who gave his name as Tope Jegede. The people were ready to apply jungle justice as they had poured petrol on Tope with a tyre round his neck, save for the timely arrival of policemen who rescued him from the jaws of death.

Another man whose name could not be ascertained and who was one of those that pursued the kidnappers almost lost his life too as he was mistaken for one of them. Seriously injured, he was rushed to a nearby private hospital where he was admitted for treatment. Mrs. Olaoke was also treated at the same hospital and discharged.

The gang leader, one Moses, who escaped with the motorcycle used for the operation was said to be an ex-staff of a new generation bank in Ibadan. By the time he was traced to his abode, he had fled while the police had been on his trail since.

Speaking with Sunday Tribune at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Iyaganku, Tope who gave his age as 23, said he's a native of Ijebu-Ijesa in Osun State. After leaving secondary school in 2006, Tope said he learnt barbing before coming to Ibadan 2005 to join his mother.

Speaking further, Tope said "I started working at Yale Foods at Oluyole in 2008 but stopped when I couldn't go to work for two days as I went for my post-UME examination in Ilorin and pre-ND form in Ede. I didn't go back to work because the rule there then was that one should not be absent for two consecutive days.

http://odili.net/news/source/2010/jun/27/617.html

serves him right and even more right if he was not saved.

olodo

Lovely jovly.

Nice to a picture showing he was well beaten. How I wish I could see a 12-inch gash on his stomach, where someone has knifed him and his intestines are out but he is not yet dead.

Waste of human skin.