SAPELE, Delta State — 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 Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, October 25, 2026, stating that the suspect allegedly collected ₦503,000 in ransom from the victim’s father before abandoning the girl along Oton Road, Sapele.
According to the police, the incident was reported at the Sapele Area Command on October 20 by the victim’s father, who alleged that the suspect abducted his daughter while she was preparing to leave for school.
The statement said the suspect subsequently contacted the father, demanded ₦503,000 and threatened to kill the minor if the ransom was not paid.
After the money was reportedly paid, the victim was allegedly abandoned along Oton Road and later 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 police also invited the school’s principal and vice principal for questioning as efforts intensified to apprehend the suspect, who had reportedly abandoned the school bus and fled.
The command said the suspect was eventually arrested on October 23 after operatives, acting on credible intelligence, traced him to his hideout in the Ajimele area of Sapele.
During preliminary interrogation, Ughagha reportedly confessed to his involvement in the alleged crime, according to the police.
The command added that arrangements were underway to transfer the suspect to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Asaba for further investigation.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Delta State, CP Samuel E. Erale, condemned the alleged crime and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting children from violence and exploitation.
Erale assured the public that the investigation would be thorough and that anyone found culpable would be brought to justice.
He also urged school authorities, parents and transport operators to strengthen child-protection measures, stressing that the safety of children entrusted to their care must remain a priority.
