Man Steals Schoolchildren, Exchanges Them For Rice

The Lagos State Police Command has
confirmed the arrest of a middle-aged man
who abducted two children and exchanged
them for bags of rice.
The suspect, simply identified as Joshua,
was said to have abducted the children,
aged 13 and 8, when they were returning
from extra-moral class.
He, thereafter, exchanged them for two
bags of rice in a shop at 63, Marwa Road,
near Chemist Bus Stop.
The owner of the shop, Mrs Silverline said
“The suspect told my sales girl that the
mother of the children needed Indian rice,
but my sales girl told him that what we had
was Brazilian rice and that it was good.
“So, he made a phone call to someone he
claimed was the mother of the children and
at the end said he would like to take the
bags of rice to the woman to ascertain if
that was the brand she wants.”
Silverline said her salesgirl insisted on
following him to collect the money for the
bags (N40, 000) should the woman agree to buy them.
She explained further, “The stranger said he
would ride on a motorcycle with the bags of
rice, while my girl followed with the children
on foot.
“On reaching the purported restaurant, the
owner said she never saw anyone with bags
of rice, neither did she admit knowing the
children.
“When we asked the children about him,
they said that the abductor was not their
father,” the shop owner added.
Speaking on the incident, an eyewitness
who identified herself as John Ifeoma said
that immediately the abductor left with the
bags of rice, a man who claimed to be the
biological father of the children arrived,
alleging that his children could have been
hypnotized by the abductor.
Ifeoma added that the man, who claimed to
be the biological father of the children, then
contacted policemen from Satellite Division,
who took everyone involved to the station.
The children were, then, released to their
parents.
The suspect is presently in police custody
and the case is undergoing investigations.