Dele Olaosebikan
THE Ogun State Police Command has described as untrue a report that its men at the Sango Division demanded forty thousand naira (#40,000) from a complainant to incident a suspected kidnap case.
Seven-year-old Mercy Akande was on Monday, 23 December 2024 abducted in the Sango area of Ogun State. According to social media reports, Akande’s mother was running her Point of Sale (POS) business when a regular male customer, who had become friendly with the young girl, allegedly abducted her after sending her on an errand.
The suspect, known to the family for buying food and gifting the girl money, asked Akande to fetch a sachet of water for him. On her way back, the man reportedly met her halfway and took her away. Although the girl’s mother noticed this interaction and was initially concerned, she was distracted by other customers. By the time she turned back, both the suspect and her daughter had disappeared.
A relative, Miyakee, shared the heartbreaking account on social media, detailing the events and providing the suspect’s phone number, which was later found to be unreachable. Miyakee also revealed that the police station in Sango was contacted, but the family was allegedly asked to pay N40,000 for the case to be processed—N10,000 for reporting the incident and an additional N30,000 to track the suspect’s phone.
“The police have asked for money before any work begins,” Miyakee wrote on social media. “She paid N8,000 to write her statement, and another N2,000 to print pictures of the missing girl. Now, she is expected to pay N30,000 to track the suspect’s phone, but she cannot get a court affidavit because of the holidays.”
The story sparked outrage online, with many questioning the actions of the local police. The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, responded to the claims, expressing disbelief at the demand for money in such a serious case, calling it “inhuman and unprofessional.” He assured the family that he would personally handle the case, urging them to contact him directly.
However, reacting to the obvious case of professional misconduct on the part of its men, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command described the story as misleading.
According to SP Omolola Odutola, the publisher of the report relied solely on a one-sided account from a social media handle, which was not verified by the Command, leading to “the publication of a false narrative about Sango Division.
“The writer, without proper investigation or consultation, produced a malicious story that overlooked the seriousness of the substantive case of suspected kidnapping involving a 7-year-old girl named Mercy Akande who is now held captive and the traumatizing challenges faced by her family, who have been contacted for ransom.
“Contrary to the allegations, there was no demand for forty thousand naira. However, the police officer who received the complaint from the counter acted unprofessionally, as the matter was not escalated to the divisional police officer, which is necessary for appropriate attention. Internal disciplinary measures have been taken against the erring police officers for failure to notify the Divisional police officer (DPO) of the magnitude of the report.
“The Divisional police officer has since reached out to the victim’s family, who have provided valuable information and efforts to locate the kidnappers and rescue the victim unhurt have commenced.
“The public is urged to disregard this misinformation and to assist the Ogun State Police Command by sharing the pictures of the kidnapped victim to help facilitate her safe return and hereby further solicit anonymous information from well-meaning individuals to assist the police track and arrest the kidnappers.”
Eighteen-Eleven Media