I wanted her for sex, not rituals, suspect tells police
A man, who allegedly kidnapped a 13-year-old hawker in Apapa area of Lagos, recently has denied the allegation that he wanted her for money- making ritual.
According to the suspect, Chukwuma Amator, he only wanted to use her to satisfy his sexual urge that fateful day.
“I know I am wrong, I have committed a crime, by attempting to kidnap the young girl. But I must be frank with you, I don’t know anything about money-making rituals. I only wanted to make love to her,” he told the detectives interrogating him at the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja.
He claimed to have patronized the girl, who hawked soaps, for the past years, adding that it was in the process of patronizing her that he fell in love with her.
“I’m in love with her. I only abducted her in order to sleep with her,” he insisted.
But the police have dismissed his defence, as abduction for whatever reason is considered an offence against the state.
However, the command’s spokesman, Mr. Frank Mba, said the police were still investigating his claims. He said the suspect would appear in court, after investigation and cautioned parents to desist from sending their children and wards to the streets to hawk wares.
Narrating what transpired between her and the suspect, the victim (names withheld) said she was hawking soaps when Amator, who was driving in his Mercedes Benz 190 car, beckoned on her and indicated his interest to buy N300 worth of the products.
The suspect was said to have given her N1,000 note, which she went to change to smaller denominations.
“He told me to come back, pretending to have got smaller denominations to give to me. As I was talking to him, he beckoned on me to come closer to him. He opened the front door of his car, sprinkled a substance on my face which made me to start feeling dizzy. I fainted in his car and did not know what happened after that, until I found myself in the hospital,” she said.
The victim, who thanked God that she was saved by some concerned Nigerians, who witnessed the incident insisted that the suspect needed her for rituals and not for love making as he claimed.
The man, who was behind the girl’s rescue, explained that he saw the suspect giving the victim N 1,000 note and later called her back.
He said: “I saw it all, but I did not suspect anything was wrong, until the girl collapsed inside the vehicle before the man sped off. So, I had to raise the alarm. And some commercial motorcyclists (okada riders) went after him, and he stopped his vehicle and pushed out the girl before speeding off.”
Some people were said to be giving the victim first aid, while others pursued and caught up with him at Kirikiri area of Apapa.
The mob attempted to lynch him, before he was rescued by policemen on patrol. But his Mercedes Benz 190 was not spared, as it was burnt by the mob.
DAILY SUN Thursday 20th January 2011
Page 29
By CHRISTOPHER OJI
