‘Mad’ woman in hijab caught with three children

A supposedly ‘mad’ woman, wearing a hijab, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for stealing three kids from a community at the Itire area of Lagos.

The kids, between ages four and one-year-old, were abducted as they were returning from Arabic school in the community.

The suspect, Naimilatu Raheem, was said to have first attempted to kidnap a set of twins, not far from the Arabic school when their grandmother sighted her and with the help of their aunt, challenged her and rescued the twins, Taiye and Kehinde from her.

She had immediately disappeared from the scene. She however didn’t go far. She had accosted Mrs.Damilola Alimi on the road, who was returning from the Arabic school with her one-year-old baby, Fathia.

When Raheem’s bag was searched after her arrest, kiddies’ clothes, slippers, amala and ewendu were found.

Before the arrival of the police, residents dragged her to Oba’s palace, where she allegedly confessed that one Alhaja, who sells herbal stuff, sent her to abduct kids.

A woman resident said: “How can she now start claiming to be mad? She’s not mad! When her phone rang, the caller ID was, ‘My love.’ But she refused to pick it.”

Some of the residents said that ID card found on her, showed that her name is Nimot Lukman, who sells soft drinks and resides at Costain area of the metropolis.

When journalists asked the suspect some questions, she couldn’t make any sense. She cried throughout.

A police source however said that the woman has a two-year- old son in the Arabic school, called Mohammed.

Alimi, still shocked over the incident said: “She approached me and demanded for my baby. Without thinking twice or even knowing what I was doing, I handed Fathia to her. Someone watching us asked me if I knew her. When I said I didn’t, the person asked why I gave my baby to her. I immediately snatched my baby from her. She ran away.”

When Raheem realized that the people in the neighbourhood were onto her game plan, she ran into the mosque, which housed the Arabic school, whipped out a hijab from her handbag, covered her head and pretended to be praying.

The mob stormed into the mosque, grabbed and started beating her. She would have been lynched alive but for the timely intervention of policemen from Itire Police Station.

According to the State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, after police rescued and arrested Raheem, detectives started interrogating her.

Owoseni said: “She first pretended to be dumb and now pretending to be mad. Some people have come forward to say that she had a case of mental illness. Police are however taking such talks with a pinch of salt. We’ll do all we can to authenticate the veracity of her claims. We’ll get people that sponsored her.”