The Delta State Police Command has arrested a 28-year-old school bus driver, Onome Lucky Ughagha, over the alleged kidnapping and sexual assault of a 14-year-old female student in Sapele.
The suspect was also alleged to have collected ₦503,000 in ransom from the victim’s father before abandoning the teenager along Oton Road in Sapele.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, the victim’s father reported the incident at the Sapele Area Command on October 20, 2026. He alleged that the suspect abducted his daughter while she was preparing to leave for school.
The police said the suspect later contacted the father, demanded ₦503,000, and threatened to kill the minor if the money was not paid. After the ransom was paid, the girl was reportedly abandoned along Oton Road and 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 command said the school principal and vice principal were invited for questioning as investigators worked to track down the suspect, who had abandoned the school bus and fled.
Acting on credible intelligence, police operatives traced Ughagha to his hideout in the Ajimele area of Sapele, where he was arrested on October 23, 2026.
“During preliminary interrogation, he reportedly confessed to his involvement in the crime,” the statement said.
The suspect is to be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Asaba for further investigation.
The Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, CP Samuel E. Erale, condemned the incident and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting children from violence and exploitation.
He assured that the investigation would be thorough and that anyone found culpable would be brought to justice.
The police chief also urged school authorities, parents, and transport operators to exercise greater vigilance in safeguarding children, stressing that the safety of every child entrusted to their care must remain paramount.