By Joy Yesufu
The Delta State Police Command has arrested a 28-year-old school bus driver, Onome Ughagha, over the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 14-year-old female student in Sapele.
The suspect demanded and collected ₦503,000 in ransom from the girl’s father before abandoning her along Oton Road in Sapele.
The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Warri on Sunday.
According to Edafe, the incident was reported to the Sapele Area Command on October 20, 2026, by the victim’s father, who alleged that the suspect abducted his daughter while she was preparing to leave for school.
The statement said the suspect subsequently contacted the father, demanded ₦503,000 and threatened to kill the girl if the ransom was not paid.
The police said the student was abandoned along Oton Road after the ransom was paid and later reunited with her family in a traumatised condition, with indications that she had been sexually assaulted.
Following the report, operatives of the Sapele Area Command launched an investigation, while the victim was taken to a medical facility for examination and treatment.
The police also invited the school’s principal and vice-principal for questioning as efforts intensified to locate the suspect, who had reportedly abandoned the school bus and fled.
Edafe said operatives, acting on credible intelligence, traced Ughagha to a hideout in the Ajimele area of Sapele, where he was arrested on October 23.
He added that the suspect confessed to his involvement in the incident during preliminary interrogation.
According to the police spokesman, arrangements were being made to transfer the suspect to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Asaba for further investigation.
The state Commissioner of Police, CP Samuel Erale, condemned the crime and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting children from violence and exploitation.
Earle assured the public that the investigation would be thorough and that anyone found culpable would be brought to justice.
He also urged school authorities, parents and transport operators to exercise greater vigilance in protecting children, stressing that the safety of every child entrusted to their care must remain a priority.
