Four Days After Moving Into A Rented Apartment, Woman Absconds With Three Of Her Neighbors Children (Photo)

The police in Ogun state is currently on the trail of a yet-to-be identified woman who moved into an apartment at Mowe in Ofada-Mokolokin Local Council Development Area of the state and after four days of staying in the said apartment, absconded with three of her neighbors children namely John Segun, 5, Darasimi Ilesanmi, (two months old) and Fikayomi Bankole 3. The children have been missing since last week Sunday.

According to the New Telegraph, the lady had moved into the apartment without giving the landlord adequate information about herself. On the day she disappeared with the children, she told their parents that she was going to buy them biscuits down the road.

Mr Ebenezer Ilesanmi whose two months old baby she went away with, said

“My wife was with my son in the compound, washing clothes when our new neighbour approached her. The woman told my wife to bring our baby, to assist her to hold, so that she could concentrate on the washing. She took the baby and promised to return soon.  After washing the clothes, my wife became worried because the woman was not yet back. Moreover, it was time for the baby to breastfeed. My wife later went to check the two other kids’ mothers, to know if their own children had returned. Unfortunately, it was the same thing. It was at that point that my wife called to tell me what was going on. Immediately, I left what I was doing and rushed home. I saw a crowd in front of our compound; everyone was searching for the children. Since then, we have not seen them.  Since then, my wife has been weeping, asking for the whereabouts of her son. I’m appealing to the police to rescue the kids. My son is just an infant. I don’t know how they will breastfeed him. He is our first child. I don’t know where or whom to run to. When we broke into the suspect’s apartment in the presence of the policemen, there was only curtain at the door and window.”

Another father, Idowu Bankole whose 3-year-old child is among those that are missing, said:

“When I was returning from church that fateful day, I saw the woman with my son. I never suspected her. My wife left the church before me, with our two children. I couldn’t go with them; I’m one of the elders in the church and we had a meeting. When I returned, I met my first child with her mother sleeping. My wife’s mother told me that our new neighbor took Fikayo out to buy a biscuit for him and other children. When she told me our neighbor took my son and two other children out, I relaxed. I went to the third street to fix a water tap. I returned about 4 p.m. and my wife told me that the woman was yet to return with the children. I encouraged my wife to exercise patience. After waiting for about two hours, another victim’s grandmother came out and started searching for her grandchild. We rushed to Mowe Police Station and reported the incident. Our landlord and his son who let out the house to the woman were arrested but were released three days later. We’re appealing to the Ogun State Commissioner of Police and Governor Ibikunle Amosun, to rescue our children; we have not been able to sleep since the incident.”

Landlord of the apartment, Tajudeen Leshi, said he never collected any money from the woman and that it was his son who let out the apartment to the alleged abductor.

“I was not around when the woman and her husband came to inspect the apartment; after they agreed to move in, they gave my son N30,000, instead of N50,000 for a year. Initially, I refused to collect the money, but my son persuaded me on the phone to collect it from them. They promised to balance me N20,000. When I returned, I told my son to call the woman to get her details. When she approached me, she said they were from Calabar. I spoke the language to her, but she didn’t understand it. She claimed that she was born in Lagos State and didn’t understand her language. The only mistake I made was that, because they were rushing to move in, I didn’t get their details. It was when she abducted the kids it occurred to me that I had made a grave mistake. I also blamed the kids’ parents; how can they hand their children to someone they had just known for only four days?”

The Divisional Police Officer at the Mowe Police Station where the case was reported to, said that efforts are being made to track down the lady.