Kidnapped children regain freedom, reunite with parents

Kidnapped children regain freedom, reunite with parents

Emotions ran high on Wednesday at the Police College Hospital, Ikeja, where the Orekoya children were being treated after they were released by their captors.

Their father, Leke, said they were put in bags by the kidnappers, who left them at the Shasha area of Lagos.

PUNCH Metro had reported how the children ─ Aderomola (11 months), Adedamola (4 years) and Demola (6 years)– were abducted by a nanny, Mary Akinloye, who was employed through OLX, an online sales portal.

However, after being employed on April 7, 23-year-old Akinloye escaped with the children the following day when their parents were away at work.

The family was later contacted on the telephone by people suspected to be working with Akinloye, demanding a ransom of N15m.

The kidnappers were said to have reduced the ransom to N13m, insisting they would not take less.

They had threatened to kill the kids if the money was not paid.

On Wednesday, exactly eight days after the abduction, PUNCH Metro learnt the three children had been released to the family.

They were said to have been released on Tuesday night, and taken to the Police College Hospital, Ikeja for treatment.

Our correspondent, who visited the hospital, observed as their father, Leke, cuddled 11-month-old Aderomola.

He sang a lullaby as the child slowly shut his eyes, drifting to sleep.

He had a drip fastened to his wrist.

The other boys ─ Adedamola and Demola ─ whose drips had been disconnected, played around the Female Ward of the police hospital.

While Demola played games on his father’s tablet phone, Adedamola asked for his portion of a chocolate bar being shared by their mother.

Their mother, while trying to keep them in check, asked if they wanted to go back to their “new house”.

The six-year-old, who quickly recoiled, said, “No, it’s a bad place. I don’t want to go back there.”

When our correspondent asked for an account of what transpired and how the kids were rescued, their father said the family would address the press formally on Thursday adding, “we want to rest today.”

He said, “However, I give thanks to the Almighty God for saving my kids and bringing us together again.

“This is not by our power. This is a result of the prayers of people for us. We saw the effect of prayers at every point while we were trying to secure the release of the children.

“The children were put in bags. It is not the work of the SSS, the military or police. It was God and I am grateful to him.”

However, at the Orekoya’s residence on Lawani Road, Itire, where relatives and family members eagerly awaited their arrival, PUNCH Metro gathered that money was paid to the kidnappers.

The father of the children’s mother, Senior Apostle Abraham Adekunle, told our correspondent that the kidnappers sent an account number to the family to pay the ransom.

When asked for the amount paid, he said he could not tell.

He said, “For the eight days that the children were taken away, we did not rest. But yesterday (Tuesday), they called us and said we should send the money to them. They sent their account number to us. Immediately they collected the money, they called us and said they had dropped the children at Egbeda.”

Our correspondent gathered that children were picked up at about 9pm.

Source: Punch