Man Exchanges His 15- Year Old Son For 2 Bags Of Rice

A yet to be identified man on Monday
successfully traded a 15-year old boy,
Seun Aderinwale, for two bags of rice
valued at N20,000 at Igando in Alimosho
area of Lagos State, southwest Nigeria.
According to eyewitness account, the
man, whose address is unknown, went to
4, Ifesowapo Street, Igando, on Monday
morning to buy two bags of rice from a
shop owned by a woman identified as Iya
Ibrahim.
The rice seller was not available at the
time but her son, Ibrahim, agreed to the
man’s proposal to drop Seun, an
Aluminium apprentice, as collateral, in
order to collect the two bags of rice and
return later to pay.
However, when the shop owner returned
in the afternoon, she was surprised to
see Seun who was dropped there in
exchange for the two bags of rice taken
away by the unidentified man.
When the man failed to return, the 15-
year old was held hostage until evening
when the pastor of his church, a Celestial
Church of Christ around the area, saw
him at the shop looking despondent.
When Seun was questioned on how he
came about the fraudster, he said he met
him casually at Hotel Bus Stop about 300
metres to his residence where a church
member had sent him on an errand to
play lotto, popularly known as “Baba
Ijebu”.
Seun said he did not know the man’s
house or have other information about
him.
The teenager later regained his freedom
when the Celestial Church pastor, known
simply as Oluso in the neighborhood,
settled the matter with Iya Ibrahim, the
rice seller.
He said the woman should take
responsibility for one of the stolen bags
of rice while Seun’s father, a co-worker
with him in the church, should pay for
the other bag of rice when he returned
from his trip to Ifo in Ogun State. Seun’s
father agreed to pay N10,000 for the bag
of rice when he returned from Ifo.
P.M.NEWS learnt that the rice seller
agreed to the pastor’s proposal and did
not report the matter to the police.
“If I report the incident to the police, I
cannot leave the station without spending
money.
Therefore, it is better for me to accept the
proposal by Oluso, the rice seller told
residents who gathered in front of her
shop to watch the drama.
When Ibrahim was questioned why he
allowed such an unusual arrangement, he
told residents that the conman asked for
two and half bags of rice, adding, “when
the motorcycle was about to go with the
two bags, I asked for the money but Seun
assured me he was coming back for the
half bag.
He even claimed to be a close relation of
the man.” However, some hours after the
man had disappeared and failed to
return, Ibrahim said Seun retracted his
earlier statement, saying he did not know
the man.