Lagos — Two suspects, including the son of the Chief Imam of Efiwakesin Mosque, Ladipo, Mushin, Alhaji Abdulraheem, have been arrested in Mushin for allegedly kidnapping a seven-year-old primary school pupil, Izuchukwu Eche.

The suspects, Waheed Sholola Ajani and Ifedayo Esho, were said to have connived with two others, Mukaila and Mojeed Scott, still at large, to kidnap Izuchukwu.

The two suspects confessed that they kidnapped Izuchukwu penultimateTuesday while he was returning from a holiday coaching class at Summerland Primary School, around 1:00 pm.

After kidnapping the boy, the kidnappers reportedly put a call to his father, demanding a ransom of N500,000 for the boy to be released.

The suspects, who claimed to be calling from Ogun State, directed the father to pay into a certain account number in one of the new generation banks located in Olorunshogo, Mushin.

Sensing serious trouble for his son, Mr. Eche quickly alerted the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Olosan-Mushin police post, who in turn swung into action, ordering his men to commence investigations immediately.

The Investigating Police Officer (IPO) called the phone number used in communicating with the father of the kidnapped boy and a female voice responded that it was a call centre.

Further investigations revealed that the phone centre was located at the Ladipo-Odo area of Mushin, and that those who made the call, few hours earlier, reside in the area.

The police were able to identify the call centre operator and she cooperated with the police by inviting the kidnappers. She told them they had a call and they promptly came. Pretending to be the father of the boy, the IPO pleaded with the kidnappers to meet him in a secret place to collect their ransom and release his son, rather than allowing him to go through the rigours of taking the money to the bank.

When the suspects insisted on payment into an account for fear of the police being involved, the IPO, armed with the account number, headed straight for the bank's headquarters on Victoria Island, where it was discovered that the referees and addresses used in opening the account were fake.

Waheed Sholola Ajani was, however, exposed through the national identity card he submitted. His real address was discovered and the police promptly stormed his residence at 47, Ladipo-Odo Street, Mushin, where his father, an Imam, was arrested. The suspects took to their heels on sighting the policemen.

After Waheed's father was arrested, the kidnappers took the boy to the nearest bus-stop near the headquarters of the Ogun State Police Command, Elewe-Eran, Abeokuta, where they left him and alerted his father to go and pick him. The boy was later found there by the police and the father.

When they were arrested, Waheed and Ifedayo confessed committing the crime, explaining that this was not the first time they would carry out such an operation.

They revealed that they collected ransom from a Mushin resident, Alhaja Twins, whose child they kidnapped in Mushin and later dropped at Isolo, after she paid money into their bank account. Reacting to the arrest of his son, Chief Imam Abdulraheem described his son as a source of sadness to him because of the bad way of life he chose to lead.