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An Ogun State teacher accused of abducting a student preparing for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination has confessed to drugging the teenager and spending part of the ransom money on sports betting. The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Olawale Ogungbade, was paraded by the Ogun State Police Command alongside other criminal suspects during a press briefing in Abeokuta on Friday. (punchng.com)
According to police authorities, the suspect allegedly kidnapped the student, identified simply as Victor, on May 12 while the teenager was on his way to sit for his WAEC examination in the Ijebu-Ode area of Ogun State. Investigators said Ogungbade administered a substance to the student to make him weak and disoriented before taking him to a hidden location where he was held captive. The teacher reportedly demanded a ransom of ₦1 million from the victim’s family and threatened to harm the student if the money was not paid promptly. (punchng.com)
During interrogation, the suspect admitted that after receiving the ransom payment, he spent a significant portion of the money on sports betting and gambling activities. He reportedly told investigators that he became addicted to betting after suffering financial difficulties and mounting debts. Police said the student was eventually rescued unharmed after operatives traced the suspect through phone records and intelligence gathered during the investigation. The command also confirmed that some of the remaining ransom money and items linked to the crime were recovered during the arrest operation. (punchng.com)
The case has triggered widespread outrage across social media and within education circles, with many Nigerians expressing concern over rising insecurity involving schoolchildren and the increasing influence of gambling addiction among young people. Child protection advocates have also called for stricter background checks and monitoring within schools to prevent similar incidents. The development comes amid broader concerns over kidnappings, ritual-related crimes, and criminal activities targeting students in different parts of Nigeria, especially during examination periods when candidates often travel alone to examination centres. (guardian.ng)
