Air of relief finally blew on the family of Mr. Folarin Coker, the Deputy Aide to Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, as it recovered its kidnapped child after a week of captivity after paying a N50 milion ransom.
A source at the Governor�s Office told the Nigerian Tribune on Tuesday that the two-year old girl was recovered at a hotel in Ghana International Airport and had since been brought back home to reunite with her parents.
The source said that six people, including a white man and the mother of the kidnapped girl, travelled to Ghana on Monday after the family had paid the sum of N50 million to the kidnapper through money transfer process.
However, the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, denied that a ransom was paid, adding that the child was recovered through the help of the police who worked resolutely to find the girl.
Bamidele, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune from Abuja, said the kidnapper later realised the implication of what he had done and willingly released the girl to the family.
�It is true that the girl had been found but nobody has paid any ransom. The kidnapper has realised he had acted against the law and had changed his mind to release the girl. I will soon issue a statement to let the public know that the girl has since been found,� he said.
Nigerian Tribune also gathered that Folarin�s relatives went into jubilation when they learnt about the release of the girl.