A 19 years old girl, Miss Dorcas Adilewa who Planned her owned Kidnap Arrested by the Police

Self-kidnapping is fast becoming the easiest method of extorting money from family members and friends, miss Docars who kidnapped herself made these confession at the Lagos police command headquarter that “I am not a criminal, I only planned my kidnap with a friend to collect N600,000 from my stingy uncle, give my mother N350,000 to clear her debt with a microfinance bank and give the balance to my sick father so he can go to the hospital.”  This was the heart-rending refrain from a 19 year old girl identified as Dorcas Adilewa who was paraded alongside her friend, 20 year-old Ifeoluwa Ogunbanjo by the Police in Lagos Monday, for the crime of planning her own kidnap. To the mammoth crowd including journalists and the Police themselves who had gathered to listen-in to the emotion-laden confession of this tearful teenage girl, who is presently fighting to survive a double ailments of glaucoma and ulcer; her intent and purpose was not far from being genuine. But in the eye of the law, she had committed a heinous crime punishable by no less a stringent sentence. This is even heightened by the erroneous impression painted as one in dire assistance of the Police to be liberated from the grips of ransom kidnappers; causing them to galvanize all their arsenals to ensure her safety. The Police was therefore, of the conviction that for the teenage girl and her sidekicks to initially call from Ijebu-Igbo in Ogun State that she was in the custody of kidnappers, changed location to Ikotun community in Lagos when it was apparent that the GSM phone number with which the ransom was demanded was being tracked and later called that she had been released after N8000 was paid was a pointer to the fact that she might have fore knowledge of kidnapping as a crime. Parading the duo while briefing on other achievements recorded  by his officers and men within the month of July 2018, the Commissioner of Police CP Imohimi Edgal said the action of Dorcas was not in any way different from kidnapping for ransom saying, “On July 12, 2018 at about 1700 hours, one Adilewa Taiwo of N0, 3 Kosumi Lane, Bello Ketu Lagos reported at Ketu Police station that on the same date at about 1500hrs, he was Odogbolu in Ogun State attending a burial rites when he receive a call from phone number 09057432362 telling that his daughter Dorcas Adilewa 19, was being held hostage by them and that if he does not want her killed, he should pay a ransom of the some of N600,000.00 to secure her release. The case was immediately transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping section SCIID, Panti for discrete investigation. Investigation into the case was immediately commenced and the above phone number that was used by the suspects was geo-located to Ijebu Igbo area of Ogun State. The O/C Anti-Kidnapping led his operatives to Ijebu Igbo on July 12, 2018 at about 2200hrs and combed the area in search of the supposed victim till the following morning of July 13, 2018. While the search was going at Ijebu Igbo, the location of the supposed kidnappers change on the morning of July 13, 2018 to Ikotun in Lagos and the search party had to move from Ijebu Igbo to Ikotun in Lagos to rescue the victim. When the fake kidnappers realized that the Police was closing in on them, the supposed victim decided to complainant to inform him that she had been released after he had deposited the sum of N8000 to her UBA Account number 2087804991. When the said Dorcase Adilewa was being debriefed upon her release, she confessed by revealing that she actually planned with her friend one Ifeoluwa Ogunbanjo who provided her with accommodation at N0. 174 Adeboye road, Okesopin Ijebu Igbo in Ogun State to hide and the phone that they used in demanding for the sum of N600,000.00.  Her reason was to extort money from her father. Investigation is on progress and on completion, the suspects will be charged to court accordingly.”

But rising up to her defense while fighting tears, Dorcas who momentarily grips her belly ostensibly in pains from Ulcer said, “I am not a criminal and no member of my family is a criminal let alone kidnapper. I did what I did to save my family.”

Continuing Dorcas said amid torrents of tears, “I work in a makeup Salon as an apprentice on monthly stipend of N15,000. My intention is to save some money enough to enable me further my education to Olabisi  Onabanjo University some day to study Business Administration because from the look of things, my parents are not well to do. I live on No. 3 Kosumi Lane Bello, Ketu with my parents. The Police arrested me because I used my friend’s phone who lives on No.174 Adeboye Road Okesopin Ijebu- Igbo to call my dad that I had been kidnapped and that my captors were demanding for a ransom of N600, 000.00.  The reason why I feigned my kidnap was because my mum borrowed N350, 000.00 from a Cooperative and Thrift Society and had been unable to pay back. Our landlord had also issued us with quit notice because of my father’s inability to pay rents of two years because he had been managing his liver problem with the little money he had. His junior brother is so stingy that he doesn’t care about how we exist. It was my belief that if I arranged my kidnap and my dad goes to him to beg for assistance he would bulge and release money to him. I had intended to quickly give my mum the N350, 000.00 she owes the Thrift Society and hand over the balance to my sick dad to enable him procure more drugs for his liver problem. I never thought all will backfire; I did do not need the money for anything. The Bet9ja office where I worked before leaving, my employer did not pay me and I didn’t care that much. My thought was that when my dad is called, the next person he will go to is his junior brother because they are blood brothers but the way it turned out is regrettable. Even though the Police kill me today or send me to jail, I won’t feel bad because I know I am suffering for my family.” (Breaks down I tears)