Two fleeing 13-year-old boys, were apprehended by operatives of Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command last Monday. It was gathered that the teenagers who fled their parents home in Abuja, were re-united with their parents on Friday.

The teenagers, Chidubem Amaechi, 13 and Chinedu Onyebuchi, 13 were apprehended by the RRS operatives of Monday morning after alighting from an Abuja bus at Ojodu Berger, Lagos. They were sighted wandering, before being invited for questioning.

The children had lied to the officers during interrogations that they were
kidnapped and blindfolded before they were driven to Lagos by their abductors. They added that they escaped from their abductors while they sleeping an under bridge before Ogun –Lagos long bridge.

An investigation into their kidnapping was launched immediately and found to be false. Their parents, who had been looking for them in Abuja, since Sunday, May 14, 2017, were shocked when contacted.

It took 3 days of questioning before, Chidubem opened up that he and Chinedu connived to leave Abuja because of the poor states of the parents.

According to Chidubem, “we noticed that our parents were suffering in order to take of care us.

We decided to come to Lagos and work for sometimes. Whatever we were able to raise in six months, we would handover to our parents for them to start business. We realised that the hardship was too much and that we would be helping them if we leave our families in Abuja in search of better opportunities in Lagos, he stressed.

I brought my N4, 200 savings, while Chinedu added N500 as transport fare to Lagos. We were already in Lagos before we realised that we were simply being stupid. We were wandering about when the officer invited us for questioning.”

The Commander, Rapid Response Squad, ACP Olatunji Disu, who received their parents on the fifth day of being in the Command’s custody in his office, appealed to parents and guardian to monitor and take good care of their wards.

The boys were re-united and released to their parents on Friday after they had promised not repeat their actions again.