Two children, Angelina and Diamond, belonging to a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Ugochukwu, recently wandered out of their homes shortly after their parents left their Ibeju Lekki, Lagos home, for work.
The two children, aged six and four, respectively, were said to have left their home at about 5:30am, when they suddenly woke from sleep and found that their parents had gone out.
A resident of the area, identified as Fola, however, met the children some two kilometers from their home and took custody of them.
He was said to have brought them to a community leader’s house around 7:30am.
It was learnt that the children, who were confused about the absence of their parents from home when they woke up from their sleep, left their home apparently in search of the couple.
They, however, lost their way and could not retrace their steps until they were found by a good Samaritan.
The community leader, Chief Festus Adigun, said, “The two children, Angelina, and her brother, Diamond, were brought to my house this morning. The children’s mother has come, because as I took them to the police station the DPO ordered his officers to search for their parents.
“We suspect their parents left them at home for work at around 5:00am. So, when the kids woke up and they could not find their parents, the older one took her brother and they left the house. And that was around 5: 30 am.
“So, someone brought them to my office around 7: 30 am. When the children were brought, I said their parents should be contacted, but if they insist the children did not go out by themselves, but were abducted, then we shall take them up on negligence of responsibility and false accusation. And thank God, the matter has already been reported to the
police.”
Another resident of the area also said, “The situation has made us as parents to be more conscious of our wards. It’s a good lesson, because many of us don’t have much time to spend with our kids and this is very bad. We rush off to work early in the morning and won’t return until late in the
night.”
The mother of the children, Mrs. Ugochukwu, said she became apprehensive when she was contacted on the development.
She said although she knew the kids could not have been kidnapped, the fear of wandering into potential danger left her jittery.
“I was worried when I was contacted that my kids left the house only to be taken to custody by a good Samaritan, who found and took them. This is a lesson to us as parents,”
she said.
