By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 30-year-old teacher and church choir master, Nathaniel Baiyegun, over the alleged abduction and killing of a 16-year-old female WAEC candidate in Ogijo area of Ogun State.

The suspect was alleged to have masterminded a fake kidnap scheme involving the teenager before demanding ransom from her family.

According to police investigations, the victim, who was preparing to rewrite the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) after reportedly failing Mathematics and English in an earlier sitting, reconnected with the suspect, said to be her former teacher, sometime in April.

Investigators said Baiyegun allegedly persuaded the teenager to visit his new school in Ogijo, Sagamu Local Government Area, under the guise of attending a coaching session.

The suspect, in a statement made to investigators, claimed he later introduced the teenager to one of his friends identified simply as Sola.

He alleged that after meeting the friend, the teenager requested transport fare from him, leading to discussions that eventually resulted in a plan to stage her kidnap and extort money from her family.

According to the suspect, the victim had informed him that one of her relatives was wealthy enough to pay ransom.

Police sources said the teenager was subsequently kept in an uncompleted building located behind the school while ransom negotiations were carried out with her family.

Baiyegun allegedly confessed that he administered sleeping tablets to the teenager after she complained about fear and discomfort while staying in the building.

“I gave her four doses of sleeping tablets after she complained that she could not sleep well,” the suspect reportedly told investigators.

He further claimed that upon returning days later, he discovered the teenager gasping for breath.

The suspect allegedly transported the victim on a motorcycle and dumped her body in a river around the MTN area in Ogijo.

Investigators said the suspect continued negotiating ransom with the victim’s family even after her death and eventually received N500,000 from her father with assurances that she would be released.

The suspect reportedly admitted spending most of the money on online sports betting.

Police sources further disclosed that preliminary investigations linked the suspect to alleged internet fraud-related activities.

The incident has sparked outrage within the Ogijo community, where the suspect reportedly served as both a private school teacher and choir master in a Pentecostal church.

Confirming the arrest, the Ogun State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, commended operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit for tracking and arresting the suspect.

Babaseyi added that the command remained committed to intelligence-driven operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks across the state and urged residents to continue providing timely information to security agencies.