How we rescued kids kidnapped by housemaid – Lagos police boss

I will talk about my family’s ordeal later, says happy dad

Police operatives from the Spe­cial Intelligence Burea (SIB) of the Lagos State Police Com­mand have rescued the three kids of same parents who were kid­napped by a housemaid last week. The suspect according to the police was ar­rested 9:20pm yesterday at Shasha, La­gos.
The children, who were abducted and taken away from their home at Lawanson Street, Surulere, by a housemaid barely 24 hours after she was employed by their parents, were rescued at the Shasha, Egbeda area of Lagos.

The children have since been reunited with their mother.
Lagos State Police Commissioner, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, at a press conference at the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, GRA Ikeja, said the missing Orekoya kids were rescued by SIB operatives on Tuesday night.
Mr. Aderanti said: “Right now, the children are receiving treatment at the Police Medical Centre, Police College Ikeja. When they were rescued, it was discovered that they had all along been kept in an unhygienic condition, so I quickly ordered that they should be rushed to the hospital.
“Well, today, (Wednesday) when I got to the hospital, the children were in good condition. They are lovely and cheerful children.”

He said the suspects had escaped before the police operatives arrived at the scene.
“But I want to assure Lagosians that the suspects will soon be arrested, as we have stepped up intensive manhunt for them. All those involved will be arrested and brought to book,” the Lagos police boss said.
He warned parents to learn from the mistakes of the Orekoyas and do a thorough background checks before hiring a house help.

Earlier, the Orekoyas – Aderomola 11-month-old, Adedamola, 4, and Demola, 6, were sighted receiving treatment at the medical centre. Their mother was seen attending to her 11-month-old baby, Aderomola.
A police source said even though the children were kept under unhygienic condition, their abductors fed them with rice and tea.

Last week, a female house help whose name was given as Mary abducted three children of her boss at the Surulere area of Lagos a day after she was employed through an online platform, OLX. The nanny’s name was given as Mary Akinloye. She claimed to be 23 and that she needed the job to enable her raise money for her education.
The abduction of the kids sparked off angry reactions from the members of the public. The kidnappers later requested for a ransom of N15 million which they later reduced to N13 million. They threatened that the parents would lose the children if the money was not paid.

It was unclear last night if any ransom was paid by the parents.
Meanwhile, an indescribable joy erupted on Tuesday night at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Orekoya when the news broke that their three kidnapped children had been released.
When Daily Sun visited the home of the family at Lawason Street, Surulere yesterday, the three-bedroom apartment of the family had become a tourist centre, as family members and friends trooped into the place to join the parents in their moment of ecstasy.

Neighbours to the lucky family were also seen at the house congratulate the family and to catch a glimpse of the rescued children. In the apartment, family members were seen in jubilant mood, giving praises to God for the healthy development.
The Orekoya’s children were kidnapped by a nanny, Mary Akinloye, on April 6, 2015, a day after she resumed work in the house.

Father of the kids, Mr. Orekoya, told our correspondent on the telephone that he could not speak much at the moment. He said the children were being taken care off in the hospital and promised to narrate everything that transpired about his kidnapped children on Wednesday (today.)
According to him, the health of his children was paramount to him at the moment.
“Now, I have to make sure that my children are okay. There is nothing much I can say for now but on Wednesday (today), I will be ready to talk to the press,” he said.

The mother’s elder sister, Mrs. Adewoyin Adetutu, who also rushed to the family’s house to rejoice with the Orekoyas, told our correspondent that both the immediate and extended family members had visited many churches to seek a divine intervention on behalf of the abducted children.
“The incident threw the entire family into confusion and panic. We were scared but we kept praying. While the search was on, we went to several churches to pray for the children’s safe return. Everybody that heard the matter joined us in prayers.

“We give thanks to God that He has answered our prayers and the children have been found and the parents are with them right now. We are all rejoicing today because the past one week has not been easy for us. People have been coming here to celebrate with us. One of our relatives who came from Abeokuta, Ogun State, to rejoice with us just returned. It is a thing of joy and we have every reason to celebrate. I have not seen the children because they are at the hospital but I will not go home until they arrive,” Adetutu said.

A security personnel attached to a new generation bank on the ground floor of the building that the Orekoyas live, also told our reporters that immediately the children were kidnapped, people from near and far came to the house to sympathise with the affected family.
The security personnel, who displayed a cheerful expression, said he was equally happy when he received the news that the children had been rescued. He said he knew the three children before they were whisked away by the nanny, and he described the parents as nice people.

“Since the nanny took the children away, sympathizers and journalists have been coming on daily basis. The environment was calm for about a week now but when we received the information that they have found the children, we were all happy for the family. Since morning, I cannot count how many people that have come here to rejoice with the family,” he said.

As at the of filing this report, a family source told Daily Sun that the children were undergoing medical examination at Police College Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos. The source further revealed that they were being checked for emotional trauma al.
Sources said no arrest was made but it was gathered that the abductors might have abandoned the kids for fear of been arrested as the Police were said to be keeping a close tab on the kidnappers.