Police intensify probe into abduction of 5-year-old girl in Lagos

Following a report on the abduction of five-year-old Memunah Abdulrahman by an unidentified man in the Ejigbo area of Lagos State, the family has confirmed that officers from the State Criminal Investigation Department have taken over the case.

News reported on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, that the family appealed to the public for help following the abduction.

The five-year-old girl was believed to have been abducted on March 9, 2025, inside a store in the Ejigbo area while she and her sister were returning from an Islamic school.

Upon arriving at the popular supermarket in the community, the suspect allegedly approached the girl and her sister and led them inside the store.

While pretending to buy them some items, we learnt that the suspect fled with the five-year-old girl, leaving her sister behind.

Following the incident, a report was filed at the Ejigbo Divisional Police Headquarters, where officers reviewed CCTV footage showing the suspect abducting the child and fleeing.

In response to the report, the spokesperson for the state police command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the Commissioner of Police, Owohunwa Jimoh, has directed the State Criminal Investigation Department to take over the case.

The CP has ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, and is hopeful that a breakthrough will be recorded soon,” Hundeyin stated.

Confirming the transfer of the case on Saturday, the community secretary, Ojagbemi Takuro, speaking on behalf of the family, said that police detectives from the SCID were seen in the community on Friday conducting a preliminary investigation.

“They (the detectives) came to the community on Friday. The parents followed them to the SCID after the order was given by the CP. We thank the CP for coming to our aid.

“When the officers came on Friday, they visited the store where the abduction occurred. This is because the CCTV camera in the store showed the suspect fleeing with the girl,” Takuro said.

Before the Commissioner of Police intervened, the missing girl’s father, Alimi, told our correspondent that the family had exhausted their finances in the search for their daughter without any success, pleading with the public for help.

“We need help. We are pleading with anyone who recognises the suspect to come forward. Our daughter is only five years old, and we desperately need any assistance to bring her home,” he said.

A similar incident was reported last Monday, when the police detailed how suspected kidnappers abducted a Lagos landlord’s daughter and another man on March 26, 2025, around 9 p.m. in the Ijede community of the state.