The incident, which took place in Babasanya-Araka Ede, sparked outrage among residents. An angry mob reportedly attacked the suspect after he was apprehended.
Abiodun Ojelabi, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, confirmed the arrest on Saturday, July 5, 2025. He stated that police were dispatched to the scene after the report was made. “The matter was reported, and we deployed operatives to the scene. When our men got to the scene, the Amotekun men who arrested him handed him over to us,” Ojelabi explained.
He added that the suspect is currently in police custody and the divisional police will investigate the case before transferring it to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
Idowu Yusuf, the spokesperson for Amotekun (a Western Nigeria security network), also corroborated the incident, noting that Kadiri is an Imam who runs an Arabic school in the area.
A Babasanya-Araka resident, who wished to remain anonymous, detailed how the suspect was apprehended. The eight-year-old victim was reported missing for several hours on Saturday. When she was found, she was crying and bleeding and was subsequently taken to a hospital in Ede for examination.