the two children of her employer, Mrs. Suliyat Azeez, in the Okokomaiko
area of Lagos State.The victims were identified as Farouk, 4; and
six-year-old Kafayat.
on Friday, less than 24 hours after she resumed apprenticeship at their
mother’s workshop on Ora Street, PPL bus stop, Okokomaiko.
their mother’s shop.Grace was said to have claimed she was going out to
buy food and asked the children to accompany her.
She said, “The girl came to my shop on Wednesday and said she wanted to
learn hairdressing. I asked who her guarantor was because she said she
came alone. She said she stayed with a friend in the area and she would
have come with her, but the friend had gone to work.
“On Thursday,
she returned and bought soft drinks and biscuits to celebrate the
commencement of her apprenticeship. I even shared the drinks with
people. That was the day she started working.
“On Friday, I planned
to go to her place of residence, but I had to first attend a meeting of
hairdressers in the community. When I returned from the meeting around
4pm, I was told nobody knew where she went to with my children and we
started searching for them. I believe she hypnotised my children.”
“The girl just identified herself as Grace. She should be about 20 years
old. My wife couldn’t collect her phone number because her phone
(Suliyat) was faulty. She just decided to admit her because the girl
asked for help. We don’t know any of her relatives and friends,” Fatai
added.
of the suspect, adding that it could be difficult to find her.
He said, “On the day of her induction, Suliyat could have taken her
snapshot. She could have taken her phone number. But she didn’t do all
these and I think she should take the blame. This shows the extent that
people could go to execute their devilish intentions. How could you
steal two children without any fear of God? We appeal to the security
agencies to help us find the children.”