**Shocking Alert: CSOs Raise Concerns Over Foul Play as Kidnapper of 12-Year-Old Girl in Rivers Traced to Enugu Prison**
The primary suspect in the kidnapping of 12-year-old Favour Oluwaseyi in the Obio/Akpor Local Government area of Rivers State on August 7, 2024, has been traced to the Enugu Correctional Facility by operatives of the Nigeria Police.
The suspect, identified only as Chiboy, is an inmate at the facility. Police tracked the phone number used to contact the victim’s mother and the account number through which a ransom of N100,000 was received back to him.
In response to this alarming development, the Rivers Civil Society Organizations (RIVCSOs) have called on the Inspector General of Police and the Controller-General of the Nigeria Correctional Service to reveal and apprehend the suspect who has reportedly been orchestrating abductions from the Enugu Correctional Facility.
During a press briefing on Thursday, Comrade Enefaa Georgewill, Chairman of the Rivers Civil Society Organizations, expressed frustration over the situation, stating it is unfortunate that criminals are using correctional centers as hideouts to conduct illegal activities in society.
The civil rights advocates voiced their disappointment that the police’s attempts to arrest the suspect after identifying him were reportedly obstructed by officials at the correctional facility.
“It is outrageous and shameful that eight months after the kidnapping incident, we are still discussing this issue, especially since we have already identified the primary suspect, who is located in Enugu prison,” George will stated.
“What more is the police waiting for, unless the police and correctional facility wardens are complicit in this matter? This is a straightforward case.”
He called for immediate action from the Controller-General of Corrections to direct his personnel in Enugu prison to produce the criminal responsible for kidnapping Oluwaseyi. He also urged the Inspector General of Police to ensure that all those involved, particularly the young girl who lured the victim out of her home, are apprehended.
RIVCSOs further called on the Nigeria Police to question the friend of the kidnapped victim, who was seen on CCTV escorting the victim to meet the kidnappers on that fateful day.
“We want the Inspector General of Police to ensure that his men locate the girl, as we have learned that both she and her parents have vacated their home, and the police claim they do not know their whereabouts,” Georgewill said.
“To date, the young woman who lured Oluwaseyi out of her house remains missing. We are demanding that the Inspector General of Police ensure the Rivers State Police provide that young lady’s details.
“We also assert that the police must exert every effort within their power to ensure that all those complicit in this case, particularly the kidnapper’s wife in prison, who has also been identified through phone records, are apprehended. If this does not happen, we will have no choice but to escalate this matter beyond this press briefing.”
Regarding his daughter’s kidnapping, Mr. Ogunsinasi Oluwaseyi, a 44-year-old father, shared his ordeal, explaining that his daughter was lured out of their house in broad daylight by a neighbor on August 7, 2024.
He recounted that the female neighbor led his innocent daughter to a waiting stranger, who immediately abducted her in a tricycle.
The distressed father of four is now appealing to well-meaning Nigerians for help in securing the release of his daughter, who has been in captivity for eight months.
Recalling the moments leading to his daughter’s abduction, he said, “On August 7, 2024, I was at work when my wife called and said my daughter was missing. I was shocked, as this was the last thing I expected.
“My wife explained that she was watching TV in the sitting room with our children and a friend of my kidnapped daughter. While she went to the bathroom to relieve herself, my daughter and her friend vanished.
“My wife searched the neighboring apartment but couldn’t find either girl. After checking outside without success, she decided to raise an alarm.
“An hour later, my daughter’s friend was seen running”.
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