A woman alleged to have abducted a three-year-old boy, Mohammed Naziru, feigned ignorance to avoid providing answers about the incident.
Naziru was returning from the mosque after prayer alongside his eight-year-old sister, last week Friday, Jan. 10, in the Iwaya area of Lagos, when the incident happened.
The suspect allegedly wore a hijab to blend in with the Muslim women at the Mosque for Jumat prayer.
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.
When Naziru’s sister returned, the woman had disappeared with Naziru.
A search was conducted around the community but Naziru was not found.
On Monday, January 13, 2024, Naziru’s sister saw a woman in the community and recognised her as the woman who allegedly took Naziru, so she raised the alarm.
The suspect attempted to flee but was apprehended by a mob, who reportedly beat her.
Police officers from the Sabo Division intervened and transferred the suspect to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
At the SCID, the woman allegedly feigned mental illness, to avoid providing information about Naziru’s whereabouts.
The boy’s father, Alhaji Idris Adamu, lamented 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.