Police decoy operatives in Lagos have arrested a middle-aged woman accused of abducting a five-year-old boy, Mohammed Naziru, in the Iwaya area of Lagos. The incident occurred last Friday as Naziru and his eight-year-old sister returned from a mosque after prayer.
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The suspect, whose identity remains unknown, was reportedly disguised in a hijab, blending in with women who had attended the Jumat prayer at the community mosque.

She allegedly gave Naziru’s sister N500 to buy ice cream worth N150 and held onto Naziru while the girl left to make the purchase. Upon her return, the woman and Naziru were nowhere to be found.

A frantic search around the community proved unsuccessful until Monday, January 13, 2024, when the woman resurfaced. Naziru’s sister recognised her and raised the alarm.

The suspect attempted to flee but was apprehended by a mob, who reportedly beat her. She was rescued by police officers from the Sabo Division and transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).

At the SCID, the woman allegedly feigned mental illness, complicating efforts to extract information about Naziru’s whereabouts.

The boy’s father, Alhaji Idris Adamu, expressed anguish, stating that the woman had refused to reveal where she took his son. He appealed to detectives to intensify their efforts to uncover the truth and rescue Naziru.

Meanwhile, SCID detectives disclosed plans to take the woman to a psychiatric hospital to ascertain her mental state as part of their investigation. It was also reported that a man who initially claimed to be the suspect’s father during the mob attack was taken in for questioning but later released.
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