Tenant abducts neighbour’s two children

Two children have been reportedly abducted by an intending tenant, whose name was not known, in Osun State.

It was learnt that the tenant vanished with the children, aged four and two, after cleaning her one-room apartment in a ‘face-me-and-face-you’ building around the Ilesa area of Igando on Saturday.

The tenant was said to have paid N6,000 for six months’ accommodation to one of the existing tenants in the house.

The mother of one of the missing children, Funke Komolafe, said that the lady sneaked out of the house and lied, claiming she was taking the girls to buy something when confronted by neighbours who saw her leaving with them.

Narrating the incident, the mother of the second child, Itunu Joseph, said, “We have three buildings sharing a common backyard. The woman met us washing our clothes on Saturday morning. My two-year-old daughter was playing with her mates inside the building where the lady had rented a room.

“After cleaning her room, the lady pretended to be pregnant and tired. She sat in the backyard, playing with the children. She told me she liked my daughter in particular and wished to have a child like her.”

Joseph continued, “She stayed with us for about three hours before going inside her room. The children followed her, but we didn’t notice when she left. The people at the front of the house saw her walking away with the children and asked where she was going. She claimed she was going to buy something for them nearby. She walked with them to the junction, where she boarded a motorcycle.

“When I couldn’t find my daughter, I was told that the new tenant had taken her and my neighbour’s daughter away. Fortunately, we know the motorcycle rider. He told us she transferred to another waiting bike at the Adeti area of Ilesa. We searched for them, but haven’t found them yet.”

The distressed mother, who spoke with PUNCH Metro on Wednesday, described the lady as between 17 and 20, fair-skinned, with a low haircut and fixed nails.

“She didn’t tell us her name,” she added.

When asked how the lady paid for the rent, Joseph explained, “A tenant in the house collected the money and informed the landlord. The landlord asked if she knew the woman, and the tenant said she did. The landlord then approved the rent without issuing a receipt.”

The case has been reported to the police and the Osun State Amotekun Corps.

The state corps Commander, Adekunle Omoyele, confirmed the incident, saying, “We are aware of the situation, and we are working hard to locate the woman. By God’s grace, we will find her and the children.”