Victor Akinkuolie, Ado Ekiti

Ekiti State Police Command on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of a suspected kidnapper,  Bernard Amaechi, for  allegedly kidnapping a a 16-year-old girl in Iye-Ekiti, Ilejemeje Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

The suspect, until his arrest, a notable roadside mechanic in the ancient community.

He was reported to have rented a piece of land from the parents of the victim along Obadun/Iludun road in Iye-Ekiti, where he allegedly kidnapped the girl on the fateful day.

According to the police, Amaechi abducted the teenager at about 8:pm on Saturday and kept her in a room belonging to his landlord who had travelled out of the community for over a month.

It was reliably gathered that the victim was a close friend of the suspect’s younger sister, whom she was playing with when she was kidnapped.

Speaking on the matter, the father of the teenage victim, who gave his name as Segun Adeyeye, said Amaechi, the suspected kidnapper, was his neighbour.

Adeyeye said the suspect used the phone number of the girl to call him at about 12:am in the midnight and identified himself as a kidnapper who abducted his daughter, afterwhich he later demanded N30m ransom.

He explained that immediately the news of the incident filtered into the town, residents and the police swung into action, but the suspect immediately fled from the town.

He said the suspect was later arrested in Ado-Ekiti.

The victim (name withheld), who is currently receiving treatment at a private hospital in Iye-Ekiti, was said to have beaten the girl and she sustained minor injury while shouting for help.