Police rescues 3 Lagos school girls “unhurt”, arrests kidnappers

The Lagos State Police Command on Sunday confirmed the rescue of the three female students abducted from the Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary in Ikorodu.

The suspected kidnappers

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni says the girls were found at the Igbokuta area of Ikorodu, hale and hearty and were not molested.

The girls, Timilehin Olisa, Tofunmi Popoolaniyan and Deborah Akinayo are SS2 pupils of the Anglican school.

The Police Commissioner also confirmed that three persons have been arrested in connection to the abduction.

The gunmen on February 29 gained entry into the school, by breaking the perimeter fence which served as protection for the boarding students and forcefully took the girls away.

The commissioner wanted the public not to encourage kidnappers to demand ransom as any ransom paid would encourage others to go into the unholy business.

He said three suspects, including the prime suspect, Emmanuel Arigidi, were arrested, adding that the girls were in stable condition. “The girls are stable, medical attention has been given to them and from what we gathered from the girls, they were not molested by the kidnappers,” he said.

Owoseni said the police and other security agencies mounted pressure on the kidnappers which eventually led to the rescue of the children around Imota area of Ikorodu at the early hours of Sunday.

Also addressing newsmen, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode announced that the three children were rescued at the early hours of Sunday by security operatives, which included officers from the Lagos State Police Command, the Department of State Security and members of the Armed Forces, who worked round the clock in the last six days to secure the release of the children.

Commending the military for a job well done, Ambode said the three girls had been safely re-united with their families and that the government wished to assure Lagosians that their security is top priority and that it would not relent in ensuring that Lagos remained safe and secure.

“I am reliably informed that one of the suspected kidnappers, Emmanuel Arigidi, was arrested during the operation to secure the release of the abducted children. Let me warn that the State Government will not tolerate kidnapping or any form of crime in the state.

“Our position is clear and unambiguous, Lagos State has the capacity and the will to go after every form of crime and criminality in order to safeguard life and property in the state.

“As our daughters are re-united with their mothers and other members of their families, I would like to seize this opportunity to wish all mothers in Lagos State and Nigeria at large a happy Mothers’ Day,” he said.

The three suspects were paraded before newsmen at the state House.