17-Year-Old Schoolgirl Kidnapped and Killed in Ogun State After Ransom Payment

A tragic incident has occurred in Ogun State, where a 17-year-old schoolgirl, Habeebah Akinsanya, was kidnapped and brutally murdered despite her family paying a ransom for her release. The crime has shocked the Mile 6 area of Obafemi/Owode Local Government Area, leaving the community in a state of panic and grief.

Habeebah, a student at Lisabi Grammar School in Abeokuta, was abducted on Friday. Her father, Akinsanya Aremu, who is a member of the So-Safe Corps, reported the kidnapping to the Kemta Police Station in Abeokuta shortly after it happened. The kidnappers quickly contacted him, demanding a ransom of ₦1 million for his daughter’s release.

Desperate to save his daughter, Aremu complied with the kidnappers’ demands. Initially, they provided him with a UBA account, but later instructed him to transfer the ransom to an Opay account instead. Hoping that paying the ransom would secure his daughter’s safe return, Aremu followed their instructions.

However, the family’s nightmare took a horrific turn when Aremu received further instructions from the kidnappers, directing him to retrieve his daughter at a location near Obasa, a few kilometers from the OGTV/Mile 6 area. When he arrived at the scene on Sunday morning, Aremu was devastated to find his daughter’s lifeless body. Habeebah had been brutally murdered, with multiple machete wounds on her body, and was found mutilated and covered with soldier ants.

The senseless killing of the young girl, who was set to enter SS3 and would have turned 18 in October, has left her family and the entire community in shock. A source close to the situation revealed that even after killing Habeebah, the kidnappers had the audacity to contact her father again on Sunday, demanding an additional ransom. This time, Aremu reportedly protested, unable to comprehend the cruelty and inhumanity of the situation.

The Commander of the So-Safe Corps, Soji Ganzallo, confirmed the tragic incident on Sunday. “Yes, we are aware of the sad incident, and we have launched our investigation,” Ganzallo said.

The brutal murder of Habeebah has highlighted the growing concerns of insecurity. The senseless killing of an innocent schoolgirl, even after a ransom was paid, has left a deep scar on the community and a grieving family in its wake.