A 28-year-old school bus driver, Onome Ughagha, has been arrested by the Delta State Police Command over the alleged kidnapping and sexual assault of a 14-year-old female student in Sapele.
The suspect was arrested after allegedly collecting ₦503,000 in ransom from the victim’s father, according to the police.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a statement, saying the victim’s father reported the incident to the Sapele Area Command.
According to the statement, the father alleged that the suspect abducted his daughter while she was preparing to leave for school.
“The suspect subsequently contacted him (the father), demanded ₦503,000 and threatened to kill the minor if the ransom was not paid,” the statement said.
The police said the suspect allegedly abandoned the girl along Oton Road, Sapele, after receiving the ransom. She was later reunited with her family in a traumatised condition, with indications that she had been sexually assaulted.
Following the report, police operatives launched an investigation and took the victim to a medical facility for examination and treatment.
The school’s principal and vice-principal were also invited for questioning, while officers intensified efforts to locate the suspect, who allegedly abandoned the school bus and fled.
The police said operatives, acting on credible intelligence, tracked Ughagha to his hideout in the Ajimele area of Sapele, where they arrested him.
He reportedly confessed to his involvement in the crime during preliminary interrogation, according to the police.
Edafe added that arrangements were underway to transfer the suspect to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Asaba for further investigation.
The state Commissioner of Police, Samuel Erale, condemned the incident and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting children from violence and exploitation.
The police commissioner assured the public that “investigations will be thorough and that anyone found culpable will be brought to justice.”
He also urged school authorities, parents and transport operators to exercise greater vigilance in protecting children, stressing that their safety must remain a priority.
