This is an open
letter to all parents and guardians to always prioritize the security and
safety of their children and wards. The latest kidnapping trend in the country
isn't only pathetic and worrisome but also, very heartbreaking.
Recently, the
media has been agog with news of kidnapping incidents. The kidnappers are
interested in virtually all specie of human beings depending on their
demand/desire. It is often rumored that the kidnappers are on the payrolls of
influential and wealthy people who use the victims majorly for rituals.
Nowadays,
kidnapping has taken a new twist. Check the escalating figures of kidnapped
adults and children and it will leave you in no doubt as to how efficient the
methods they now employ to cajole their victims.
Let me inform
parents, especially, that one of the modus operandi of the kidnappers now is to
disguise as mad people. They trail wandering kids down the streets and when
they noticed that the child is way out of sights of the people around, the mad
fellow jumps on the child.
From recent confessions, it has been discovered that
voodoo/juju are often used immediately to make the victim disappear. Hmmm...
The victims are mostly for rituals and not for ransom as the buyer is
immediately contacted via the phones most of the kidnappers carry along with
them.
A typical
situation of the above is the case of a supposed mad woman who was caught in
Lagos a couple of weeks ago. After she was beaten,
she became ‘sane’ and fear of lynching made her start divulging information.
She claimed that they were twenty-seven (27) women in all that came as a group
of the syndicate from Benin Republic. Each woman was given 4 or 5 phones to
contact their buyers once the target; little children, is acquired. The phone
is to be thrown away after transactions to avoid detection.
You
can now imagine! Some parents/guardians are very careless with their
children/wards. Some neglect these kids and allow them to roam the streets at
odd hours. Some even send young and tender kids to far distances unaccompanied.
This is very irresponsible. Some leave their children at the mercies of the
neighbors who care less about what becomes of them.
Another
method often used by these kidnappers is when they pose as house-helps.
House-help related kidnapping cases are very common with the supposed career
parents who leave their children in the trusting hands of house-helps they
barely know their backgrounds or families.
An instance of such kidnap is the story of Mary Akinloye, a house help who kidnapped three kids in the Surulere area of Lagos State and demanded N15 million from her employers for the release of their children. Akinloye, a 23-year-old indigene of Ibadan, Oyo State, was said to have been hired through an online trading portal, OLX. Reports say the parents of the children posted a notice on the online sales portal requesting the services of a nanny. Akinloye then offered her services and gave the parents the phone numbers of two individuals she claimed were her relatives. The family agreed to formalise documentation with the purported relatives and went ahead to employ the nanny. Barely one day after she resumed work, the 23-year-old house help bolted with the three children, aged between 11 months and six years, away while their parents were at work.
Now that the
holiday period has come, its very important that parents/guardians ensure extra
measures to secure and safeguard the lives of their children/wards.
- If you are to
leave the kids at home, make sure that the doors and gates are well
secured.
- Do not leave
your children with neighbors or house-helps you barely know their background.
Try and investigate properly any house assistant you intend taking in before
fully engaging their services.
- Its also
important that children are well educated and trained not to accommodate or
relate with strangers in your absence. They should be properly guarded to also
reject any gifts or offer of assistance from such fellows.
- Enroll your
children in schools or tutorial centres with adequate security measures.
- Let us be
watchful of any strange fellows roaming about our areas whether in the day or
at nights. If such happens, be very quick to contact the security operatives in
your area.
- Lastly, let
us be very prayerful for our children.
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