Apprentice abducts employer's children a day after resumption

Punch reports that the mother of the children, Suliyat Azeez who has a hairdressing shop in the Okokomaiko area of Lagos State, had employed Grace as an apprentice just one day before she abducted her two young children, Kafayat who is six-years-old and four-year-old Farouk.

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It was gathered that Grace fled with the children on Friday, November 25, 2016, less than 24 hours after she resumed apprenticeship at their mother’s workshop on Ora Street, PPL bus stop, Okokomaiko.

The children were said to have returned from school on the fateful day and went to their mother's shop who was away at the time.

The suspect was said to have claimed she was going out to buy food and asked the children to accompany her but she however absconded with them.

It was learnt that nobody had Grace's contact, phone number or knew her place of residence.

The tearful mother narrated what actually happened:

“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 father of the children, Fatai, said the family had reported the incident at the Ojo and Okokomaiko police divisions but efforts at finding the children had been abortive.

“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.”

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However, the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Dolapo Badmos said the matter was not reported at the police stations and urged the parents to go back to the station nearest to them to make a report so that investigation can commence.