Woman fakes insanity to escape justice after alleged kidnap of 3-year-old

A middle-aged woman accused of abducting a three-year-old boy, Mohammed Naziru, from the Iwaya area of Lagos has been apprehended by the police after an elaborate ruse involving a fake mental breakdown.

The alleged kidnapping occurred last Friday while Naziru was returning from the mosque alongside his eight-year-old sister.

The suspect, whose identity remains unknown, reportedly disguised herself in a hijab to blend in with other women attending Jumat prayers at the community mosque.

According to eyewitness accounts, the woman gave Naziru’s sister N500 to buy ice cream, leaving the little boy in her care.

However, by the time the sister returned, both the woman and Naziru had disappeared.

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Despite frantic efforts by the family and community members to locate Naziru, the search yielded no results until Monday, January 13, when the suspect returned to the area.

She was spotted by Naziru’s sister, who immediately recognised her as the kidnapper.

In an attempt to flee, the suspect was intercepted by a mob who began to beat her. She was saved by the prompt arrival of police officers from the Sabo division, who took her into custody before transferring her to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).

The boy’s father, Alhaji Idris Adamu, recounted the harrowing ordeal. “I got a call at about 1 pm last Friday informing me that my son had been kidnapped. I rushed to the house and found a mob attacking her. I pleaded with them not to kill her because her death wouldn’t bring my son back. The police arrived and took her away,” he said.

Adamu revealed that the woman had refused to disclose the whereabouts of his son, instead pretending to be mentally unstable. “She is not mad; she’s only pretending. We found pieces of paper in her possession detailing where to keep my son and instructions to administer an injection to put him to sleep. There were also several phone numbers written in a purse found with her,” he added.

The distraught father appealed to the police to intensify efforts to locate his son, saying, “All I want is my son back. She should tell us where he is before any harm comes to him.”

Adamu further disclosed that the woman’s sudden change in appearance raised suspicions. “When she was arrested, she had braids. But by the time she got to the SCID, she had loosened her hair to make herself look unkempt, like someone who hadn’t combed her hair in months,” he said.

A man who initially claimed to be the suspect’s father was also briefly detained by the police but later released.

Detectives at the SCID have launched a full investigation into the case and plan to take the woman to a psychiatric hospital to verify her mental state. “This is part of the procedure to determine the authenticity of her claims of insanity,” an officer revealed.

The police have assured the family that every effort is being made to extract the truth from the suspect and rescue the missing child.

For Adamu and his family, the wait continues, with prayers for Naziru’s safe return dominating their thoughts.

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