‘I kidnapped my girlfriend to raise money for wedding’

A 24-year-old man, Micheal Duda, has said he kidnapped his teenage girlfriend identified as Victory Aseguah, with the intention of raising money for their wedding.

Micheal was paraded alongside 104 suspects arrested for various crimes ranging from kidnapping, rape, armed robbery and cultism at the headquarters of the Edo Police Command. He said his girlfriend just finished secondary school and there was no way he could approach the parents that he wants to marry their daughter.

Speaking to newsmen yesterday, Micheal said he kept the girl in his house for four days and asked her father to pay him the sum of N2 million. Micheal, who sells dispensable cups, admitted that he had sex with the girl all through the four days she spent in his house.

“I live at Ekae community off Sapele road. She came to my house. We planned to collect money from her father to raise money for our marriage but I did not collect the money again. She stayed in my house for four days. I couldn’t tell the father I want to marry his daughter. She said her father would not support the idea because she was yet to go to the university. She was with me for four days. The man said he has no money to pay. I was at home with the girl when police came and arrested me.”

But Victory who was present at the parade said they met on facebook and after several days, she decided to visit him. Victory said she was surprised that the boy kidnapped her when she got there and heard that the boy demanded for N4 million from her father.

Elder sister of Victory, Rodha, said her sister was sexually abused before the police rescued her.On the alleged plans to get married, she laughed saying, “My sister is 16 years old and has never slept outside before. She told me they met on facebook and the boy professed love to her. When she went to the house, she said the boy hatched the plan and said he would collect N10,000 from our father but the boy demanded for N4m.

“He will lock her inside the house and called us threatening that he will kill her if we did not pay. He took advantage of my sister’s condition.”
“She told me the boy is 21 and a student but she later saw that it was a lie. We took her for treatment after the rescue.”Speaking to newsmen, Police Commissioner, Babatunde Kokumo, said the suspects would soon be charged to court.