12-year-old kidnapped in Lagos, rescued in Sokoto

From all indications, kidnapping is becoming popular. Another thing is certain, that the traditional African style of life where people live as one family with their neighbors and in some cases, entrust the care of their children into their neighbors, may suffer. The case of 12-year-old Chizaram Christopher, a primary one pupil of Unity Primary School, Lagos, who was allegedly kidnapped in Lagos by a neighbor, Ndubuisi, who is now at large, taken to Onitsha in Anambra State and handed over to a stranger, Amidu Sula, who took the boy to Sokoto and detained him in a room, is enough testimony.

While Chizaram was detained in a house at Sokoto and fed with groundnuts, his captor Ndubuisi had gone back to Lagos from Onitsha where he met Chizaram’s aunty that the boy was staying with and decided to play the good neighbor type by helping aunty Dazie to negotiate on phone for the release of Chizaram.



The “good neighbor” Ndubuisi was able to agree with the “Kidnappers” of Chizaram on phone to accept N1.2 million from Aunty Dazie to release Chizaram. But Aunty Dazie who brought Chizaram from his parents in Imo state to stay with her before he was kidnapped, was only able to raise N1 million for the kidnappers . The kingpin of the kidnap gang, Ndubuisi - who had all through the act deceived Dazie as a good neighbor - insisted that the kidnappers were not ready to take anything less than N1.2 million. It was not however clear if Ndubusi had collected the available N1 million from Dazie in Lagos before the police in Sokoto burst the deal.

Sokoto State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Umar Abubakar Manko, who confirmed the report said Chizaram was locked up in a room. Chizaram managed to come out of the room but could not go out of the verandah because it was locked. CP Manko said when the boy’s cry was loud, some neighbors that could not help the situation reported to the police.

He said detectives from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the command were detailed to keep vigil on the house and monitor the movements and activities of the alleged kidnappers while Chizaram was fed through the fence. When the three alleged kidnappers holding Chizaram hostage in Sokoto finally returned to the house around 10pm in the night, they were nabbed by the waiting cops.

The Taraba-born Amidu Sula who allegedly brought Chizaram from Onitsha to Sokoto said he is a licensed driver looking for work. He said his friend Ndubuisi who resides in Sokoto phoned him that he will get a job for him in Sokoto. “When we met in Onitsha, I saw him with this boy, Chizaram. Ndubuisi introduced Chizaram to me as his cousin and said he is going to live with him in Sokoto. He requested me to pay his transport fare to Sokoto but I told him I do not have money for that. Ndubuisi then told me to proceed with Chizaram to Sokoto while he will return back to Lagos and source for money. I complained to him that I have never been to Sokoto so I may not know my way. He phoned Onyebuchi Ochoba to go to the motor part in Sokoto and receive us on arrival. We met Onyebuchi waiting for us at the Sokoto motor park. He took us to Ebeneza Nkenwa’s place where we all lived before we were arrested. Yes, I used to go to Ndubusi’s place in Lagos where I saw Chizaram in their neighborhood but I was not a party to his kidnap.”

Speaking to Weekly Trust, Chizaram said he was returning from school when Ndubuisi met him on the way and told him to follow him to an undisclosed place, adding, “But Ndubuisi told me that he told my aunty that I will follow him to the place and she asked him to go and pick me from the school. When he said he has told my aunty that he is going with me, I agreed to follow him. I use to help Aunty Dozie sell things in the shop. “My parents live in the village. Aunty Dozie brought me from the village to live with her in Lagos. I do not know the name of the village. I do not also know the name of my state. Yes, I know Ndubuisi in Lagos. He lived in a house near my aunty’s house.”

CP Manko said detectives are on the trail of Ndubuisi while efforts are being made to link up with Dozie in Lagos and Chizaram’s parents in Imo with the hope of linking them back with the boy. He said the trio of Amidu, Onyebuchi and Ebeneze will be charged to court as soon as investigation into the matter is concluded while the hunt for Ndubuisi will continue.