“Father of Slain Ogun Student Paid ₦30,000 Ransom, Not ₦1 Million” — Police

The Ogun State Police Command has debunked earlier reports claiming that Mr. Akinsanya Aremu, the father of the slain 17-year-old student, Habeebah Akinsanya, paid a ransom of ₦1 million to her kidnappers. The police clarified on Monday that the actual amount paid was ₦30,000.

Aremu, a senior officer with the So-Safe Corps, reportedly transferred the sum to a Moniepoint account provided by the kidnappers, as part of an effort to trace and apprehend those responsible for abducting and killing his daughter.

Tragically, the police confirmed that Habeebah was raped before being brutally murdered with a machete. Her body was discovered on Sunday at her father’s farm, located near Mile 6, close to Ogun State Television in Abeokuta.

Police investigations have cast suspicion on one of the farm workers employed by the victim’s father. According to local residents, the worker was last seen entering the farm with Habeebah, but returned alone.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Kemta Division in Abeokuta, CSP Olawale Famobuwa, provided details of the case with approval from the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu.

Famobuwa recounted the timeline of events, stating, “Mr. Aremu reported his daughter missing to the police on Friday night around 9:30 pm. He explained that Habeebah had been assisting her sister with a Point of Sale (PoS) business when she was invited for a transaction and subsequently disappeared. The case was initially treated as a missing person.”

He continued, “On Saturday, Mr. Aremu informed us that the kidnappers had contacted his daughter’s sister, demanding a ransom. He then paid ₦30,000 into the Moniepoint account they provided. This was done to aid in tracking the suspects and bringing them to justice.”

The police followed the money trail to Oke Egunya, a community under the Ibara Division in Abeokuta, where they conducted an overnight search. However, their efforts were cut short when they received news on Sunday that Habeebah’s body had been found on her father’s farm.

Further investigation revealed that a 15-year-old boy in the community had seen the farm worker, now a prime suspect, acting suspiciously and attempting to flee the area. Despite receiving crucial information from the community, Mr. Aremu reportedly did not pass it on to the police in a timely manner.

The police are currently on the hunt for the farm worker, who has since fled. They are committed to ensuring that all individuals involved in this heinous crime are apprehended and prosecuted.

Habeebah, who was a student at Lisabi Grammar School in Abeokuta, was set to begin SS3 in the upcoming school session starting on September 16th. She would have turned 17 in October.