The suspect, identified as Nathaniel Baiyegun, allegedly lured the teenager under the pretext of enrolling her in a coaching programme for candidates preparing to rewrite the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Police said the victim had earlier failed Mathematics and English and was seeking to retake the examination when she reconnected with Baiyegun, her former teacher, on April 7.
According to investigators, Baiyegun invited the teenager to his new school the following day and introduced her to a friend identified simply as Sola, who allegedly expressed interest in a relationship with her.
In a statement to investigators, the suspect claimed his friend demanded sex from the girl, but she declined, saying she was menstruating. He alleged that after requesting transport fare, they both agreed to stage a fake kidnapping to extort money from her family.
Baiyegun told police he kept the teenager in an uncompleted building behind the school and used her phone to negotiate a ransom of N3 million with her family.
He admitted giving her sleeping tablets after she complained about fear and discomfort at the location.
According to his account, he returned days later and found the teenager gasping for breath.
“I quickly stopped a bike and took her to a river in the MTN area and dumped her body there,” he reportedly told investigators.
Police sources said the suspect continued negotiating with the family even after the victim’s death and later received N500,000 ransom from her father while falsely assuring him she would be released.
The suspect allegedly told investigators that he spent most of the money on online sports betting.
Detectives also linked Baiyegun to suspected internet fraud activities during preliminary investigations. Police further alleged that he had previously requested nude photographs from the teenager.
Operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit later tracked and arrested the suspect during investigations into the girl’s disappearance.
The incident has drawn widespread reactions in Ogijo, where the suspect reportedly served as both a teacher and choir master in a Pentecostal church.
Reacting to the case, Ogun State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, said Commissioner of Police Bode Ojajuni commended the Anti-Kidnapping Unit for the arrest.
He added that the commissioner also appreciated the support of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, for strengthening intelligence-led policing and anti-kidnapping operations in the state.
The police urged residents to remain vigilant and continue providing credible information to security agencies.
