Police rescue 2 stolen children, arrest suspected certificate forgers

The Osun Police Command on Wednesday announced the rescue of two stolen children from a syndicate.

Parading the suspects at the police headquarters in Osogbo, the Police Commissioner, Mr Olafimihan Adeoye, said the rescue of the two children was made possible through the reportage of the arrest of members of the syndicate.

“Two weeks ago , the media widely reported the arrest of two persons, a reverend father and a woman, who kidnapped and later sold an 18-month-old baby boy they stole in Osogbo.

“This report prompted a couple from Ganmon in Kwaran whose three and five- year-old daughters were stolen in Ilorin to check with the command to see if those arrested were the same people who stole their daughters.

“When the couple saw the suspects in our custody, it was discovered that it was the same gang that stole their daughters and further investigation launched by the command led to the recovery of their children.

“In another development, however, four men were also arrested in Ibadan by men of the Osun Police Command for forging various certificates, especially academic certificates.

“The men were arrested after a graduate of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, asked someone to help her collect her certificate from her school.

“Instead of the person sent to collect the certificate from the school, he went to patronise the forgers who issued a forged certificate to her.

“When the certificate owner, however, took the certificate to her school to be verified, the school denied issuing it and this led to her reporting the matter to the police and the subsequent arrest of the forgers, ” he said

The commissioner also said of interest was the case of a 400-level students of Osun State University, Olaniyan Olayemi Joshua, who was reported missing on social media after passing the night at the Ojodu police station in Lagos.

Adeoye said the student, who is hail and hearty and in the custody of the command, was never missing in the first place.

He said the student, on his own, decided to go into hiding and remain incommunicado.

Adeoye warned against using the social media to level false accusations, saying he was happy the police had been exonerated.