The operatives of the Amotekun Corps have arrested an ex-convict for allegedly attempting to kidnap an 8-year-old girl in Osun State.

The Osun Commander of Amotekun Corps, Brig.-Gen. Bashir Adewinmbi (rtd), in a statement on Monday, said the suspect, a resident of Lawole Compound Iresi town, was arrested at about 2:30 p.m. on Saturday after he was discovered by residents trying to forcefully drag the girl away.

Adewinmbi said: “The suspect tried to lure the girl with N50 who was sent on an errand by her mother, but later forcefully grabbed her and tried to take her away when the girl refused to collect the money from him.

“It was at the point of trying to drag the girl away that the girl raised alarm, attracting residents to what he was doing.

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“Residents later chased him, arrested him, and called in Amotekun officers from Olorunda Local Government to take him away.

“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime and added that he planned to use the girl for money ritual, if he had succeeded.”

He noted that the ex-convict, upon interrogation, said had the girl collected the N50, “she would have disappeared and re-appeared at his herbalist’s place in Ejigbo, where the ritual is expected to take place.”

Adewinmbi added that the suspect said he had been convicted before for robbery but now works as a block molder.

The Amotekun commander, who said the suspect has been handed over to the police for further investigation, admonished parents to be careful about the movement of their underage children and not allow them wander around without supervision.

The Star