Ogun Teacher K!lls Teen WAEC Candidate After Fake Kidnap Plot, Confesses to Spending ₦500,000 Ransom on Betting

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 30-year-old private school teacher, Nathaniel Baiyegun, over the alleged k!lling of a 16-year-old WAEC candidate identified as Florence after reportedly masterminding a fake kidnapping scheme aimed at extorting money from her family.

According to reports, the tragic incident has sent shockwaves across Ogun State, with investigators alleging that the victim was lured under the pretence of attending an academic coaching session before the situation turned deadly.

Sources familiar with the investigation revealed that Florence, who was preparing to retake the West African Senior School Certificate Examination after reportedly failing Mathematics and English in her previous attempt, had once attended the school where Baiyegun previously taught.

Police sources disclosed that the suspect allegedly re-established contact with the teenager nearly a year after she left the school and later introduced her to a friend identified simply as Sola, who was allegedly interested in having a relationship with her.

Investigators further alleged that Baiyegun took the teenager to an unfinished building located behind his new school premises, where she was reportedly held. The suspect was accused of administering sleeping tablets to the girl after she complained of fear and discomfort while staying at the isolated location.

According to police findings, the teacher later used the victim’s phone to negotiate a ransom with her father, initially demanding millions of naira before eventually receiving ₦500,000 from the distraught family.

Shockingly, the suspect allegedly admitted during interrogation that he spent most of the ransom money on online sports betting instead of securing the teenager’s release.

In a statement said to have been made during interrogation, Baiyegun denied having any romantic relationship with Florence, insisting that they were only close while she was a student at his former school.

The suspect explained that he taught science subjects, including Physics and Further Mathematics, and claimed Florence was not directly under his tutelage because she belonged to the humanities department.

He alleged that their relationship became strained after the teenager once asked him to lie to the school principal about her whereabouts after she was spotted outside school premises.

Baiyegun claimed he stopped communicating with her afterward and even deleted her contact from his phone before they unexpectedly reunited earlier this year while he was filming content for his Instagram page in the community.

According to his account, the teenager informed him during the encounter that she planned to retake her WAEC examinations, leading to renewed communication between them.

The suspect further alleged that after reconnecting, he introduced Florence to his examination coaching classes and later arranged a meeting between her and his friend, Sola, behind the school premises.

He claimed that after Sola left the scene, Florence requested transport fare, but because he had no money, they allegedly devised a plan to stage her kidnapping and extort money from her family.

The teacher admitted taking the teenager to the abandoned building, where she spent the night. He also confessed to giving her multiple doses of sleeping medication after she complained that she could not sleep due to fear.

Baiyegun told investigators that when he later returned, he found the girl in critical condition and attempted to move her from the location while pretending to bystanders that she was ill and needed medical attention.

Despite allegedly realising the severity of her condition, he reportedly continued negotiating with the victim’s family for ransom payment without informing them of what had happened to their daughter.

Reacting to the development, spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Oluseyi Babaseyi, confirmed that operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit carried out the arrest following investigations into the incident.

Babaseyi praised the officers involved in the operation, describing the arrest and recovery of incriminating evidence as a testament to the dedication and professionalism of the police.

He also commended the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, for their leadership and support in strengthening security operations across the state.

The police command assured residents that efforts were ongoing to dismantle criminal networks operating within Ogun State and urged members of the public to continue providing useful information to security agencies.