The victim identified simply as Ayuba, was reportedly playing with his friends at Oke-Kube Street in Ikotun area of Lagos, when the kidnapper, Onyeka Patrick,who lives in the same area beckoned him to come.

Report said unsuspecting Ayuba followed Onyeka into his room,  located on 16, 3rd Avenue Mumako Estate, only to be kidnapped.

Onyeka, thereafter, wrote a letter to his victim’s parents demanding for N5 Million ransom, including a phone number with which he could be reached.

Policemen at Ikotun division  who were contacted, reportedly  swung into action and in the process, arrested Onyeka.

Parading the suspect before journalists yesterday, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said Onyeka was transferred to the Special Anti Robbery Squad, Ikeja, where he confessed to have strangled Ayuba to death.

“He confessed to have kidnapped the seven year-old boy and strangulated him to death. He went ahead to conceal his body in a sack and later dumped it inside a septic tank of an uncompleted building in the same neighbourhood, before writing a letter to the father of the victim, demanding a ransom of N5 Million before the victim will be released. He also, included a phone number with which he could be reached. He has led operatives to recover the decomposed body of the victim which is now deposited at the Isolo General Hospital mortuary for autopsy”, Braide said.

When approached, 25-year-old Onyeka, an indigene of Anambra state blamed the act on the handiwork of the devil. He simply stated that his brother’s wife reported him to the police.

According to him, “ I do not know what came over me.

I know God will not forgive me for this. The first thing that gave me away was my mood. My  brother’s wife noticed I was no longer myself since Ayuba was declared missing and reported to her husband. My brother on his part, went to read the letter I wrote to Ayuba’s parents and discovered it was my hand writing.  He then handed me over to Ayuba’s father to say all I knew about his missing son. That was how I was taken to the police”.

Asked why he killed the boy instead of releasing him alive to his parents, he replied, “ I killed him in order to block every channel that would link me to the deed. I knew that if I released him alive, he would disclose my identity to his parents who would in turn report to the police and I would be arrested.

How I killed Ayuba.

After inviting him into my room at about 3pm that fateful day, something whispered to me that I could kidnap him and make money out of it. But after detaining him for about two hours, he kept saying he wanted to go to his parents. Not knowing what to do, I gripped him by the neck and strangled him. When he attempted to scream, I held his mouth and pressed harder on his neck. He struggled for a while and became still.

When it was dark, I tucked the body inside a sac and dumped it inside a septic tank of an uncompleted building. And on my way back, I dropped a letter in front of his parents house where I demanded for N5 million ransom.

Asked what he intended to do with the ransom, he simply stated that he wanted to start a business with it.

Meanwhile,  the command’s spokesperson said Onyeka would be charged to court  for murder.

– Vanguard