HOW I DRUGGED 16-YEAR-OLD WASSCE CANDIDATE, SPENT RANSOM ON SPORTS BETTING — OGUN TEACHER
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By ‘Sefiu Ajape
A 30-year-old private school teacher, Nathaniel Baiyegun, has been arrested for allegedly killing a 16-year-old West African Senior School Certificate Examination candidate, Florence, said to be his former student.
According to a police source, the suspect allegedly lured the teenager under the guise of attending an academic coaching class before the incident occurred.
The source disclosed that Baiyegun allegedly demanded a ransom of N500,000 from the victim’s father after the girl had died, adding that he later confessed to spending the money on online sports betting.
“The suspect allegedly reconnected with the teenager about a year after she left his former school and attempted to force her into a relationship with his friend, identified simply as Sola. He kidnapped and kept her in an uncompleted building before administering an overdose of D5 sleeping tablets on her.
“He also claimed that the killing was accidental, but preliminary police investigations revealed he was allegedly involved in internet fraud and had at one time requested nude photographs from the deceased, which she reportedly sent to him through her mobile phone,” the source said.
The suspect was said to have dumped the victim’s body in a river in Ogijo after believing she had died.
In a confessional statement obtained on Friday, Baiyegun claimed he had been close to Florence but denied having any romantic relationship with her.
“I am a teacher at a private school in Ogijo, and she was one of the students in my former school. She was not one of my direct students because she was in the humanities, while I teach only science students. I was not teaching her class. I was teaching Physics and Further Mathematics.
“We became very close, but there was no amorous relationship between us. At times, she would go to my table in the staff room and drop gifts for me, even when I was not around. That was just it until I deleted her number from my phone and told her not to call me again.
“She lied to our then principal that she was coming to return my power bank to me after she was caught at a faraway location. It was true that I gave her my power bank, but she returned it to me at school. So, when she called me to tell me that I should help her lie to the principal that she had come to return my power bank when he saw her, I was very upset, and I severed my relationship with her,” he stated.
Baiyegun said he did not hear from the teenager again after she changed schools until April 7 this year, when they reconnected while he was shooting content for his Instagram page.
“The last time I saw her before April 7 this year was last year, after her WAEC. She was the one who saw me and called me. I asked her if she was writing UTME, but she told me that she did not do well in her O-Level results. She failed Mathematics and English and wanted to write WASSCE again,” he said.
The suspect added that they exchanged contacts again, and he introduced his JAMB and WAEC coaching classes to her.
Narrating how the alleged abduction occurred, Baiyegun said one of his friends, identified as Sola, had repeatedly expressed interest in dating Florence.
According to him, on April 8, he invited the teenager to his new school while she was at her coaching centre, adding that Sola had been waiting behind the school premises.
He explained that Florence later arrived around 5:30 p.m., after which he introduced her to Sola and left them while he attended a class.
The suspect claimed that when he returned around 6:30 p.m., Sola had left and Florence informed him that Sola allegedly demanded sex from her, which she declined because she was menstruating.
Baiyegun further stated that the victim later requested transport fare from him, but he claimed he had no money.
He alleged that they then planned a fake kidnap together to extort money from her family.
“I took her to an uncompleted building at the back of our school and used her phone to negotiate a ransom of N3m from her father. She complained to me that she could not sleep well the first day she slept in the uncompleted building. After she complained that she was scared and that she could not sleep, I gave her four dosages of D5 sleeping tablets and left her there.
“I was not around the day after I gave her the drug. I attended our pastor’s father’s burial and came back on the night of April 11. When I returned from the burial, I went to see her and discovered that she was gasping for breath. I quickly stopped a bike and took her to a river in the MTN area and dumped her body there. I lied to the bike rider that she was sick and that I wanted to take her to my aunt for treatment, but I dumped her body in the river.”
The suspect also admitted that the victim’s father later paid the ransom despite the girl already being dead.
“I lied to him that his daughter would be released as soon as the ransom was paid. I spent almost all the money on online sports betting, and I regret it now,” he added.
Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Oluseyi Babaseyi, urged residents to be mindful of the company they keep.
He said, “The successful operation carried out by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, leading to the arrest of the notorious suspect and recovery of incriminating exhibits, underscores the bravery, professionalism and unwavering dedication of the operatives.
“The Ogun State Police Command commends Olatunji Disu for his continued support towards tactical policing, intelligence-led operations and the fight against kidnapping and other violent crimes.
“The Command equally appreciates the strategic leadership and operational direction of the Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, which have continued to yield remarkable security successes within Ogun State.
“The Ogun State Police Command assures residents that sustained efforts are being intensified to dismantle all criminal syndicates operating within the state and its environs, while urging members of the public to continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible information.”
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