Cynthia James (not real name) had gone to work when her maid
of only two days made away with her baby. The mother of two recounts her
ordeal, which she described as “seven days of hell”.
Leaving their child in the care of a maid is a lifestyle
very rampant in Nigeria today. These housemaids are usually acquired from
organized ‘companies’ who bring them for villages and all sorts of places.
In her case, Mrs. James got hers on June 27th from a taxi
driver, Mr. Samuel Idu, whom had driven her for over six months. “When he saw
that I had no help he suggested bringing his sister, Sarah, of the same parents
to help me. Since he was very familiar with us, I agreed and I actually saw a
resemblance that further convinced me of their relationship.
“But only two days after she came on Saturday 29th, she made
away with my baby. I had gone to work and left her with my mother. As soon as
my mum went to have a bath she took her chance and ran away with my one year
plus daughter.”
When Idu was arrested and taken to the Police Station in
Lugbe, “he said he knew a girl who knew Sarah but that he had picked Sarah from
the street to bring to me, and really didn’t know her.”
Idu took them to Gbesa village, another fifteen-minute drive
after the airport where the said girl admitted she knew Sarah and the taxi
driver because they usually came together to eat at her canteen. She was also able give us the contacts of
another boyfriend of Sarah’s.
The boyfriend was picked up as well as Sarah’s elder sister
whom he had directed them to. The sister informed them that Sarah had called
their father on Monday night to say she was coming home to stay with him.
James said, “The father gave us the number with which she
called him and at the tracking office they were able to point her location as
Giri Junction where she was in transit. The police went there and stayed the
whole day till about 6pm. Not long after, the elder sister’s husband then came
to the station to tell us that she had been found. Around Sauka, we found Sarah
in a church with her mother who had brought her there.”
Sarah directed the search party to the FCT Orphanage Home in
Kwako, Gwagwalada where she claimed she gave the baby to a certain ‘aunty Nene’
at the Home, “which was false because there was no such person. The matron came
and explained that a baby who had been recovered by vigilante in an uncompleted
building was brought there and that they didn’t take her in because there was
no police report.
“The vigilante took my baby to the Gwagwalada Police Station
from where they were referred to another Home, SOS Children’s Home where we
found my child. They refused to release her initially after much begging,
crying and showing proof. They however, insisted we signed an undertaking that
if anything happened to her we would be prosecuted.
She describes those seven days of search as the most hellish
of her life. “Even when I’d try to brave it, my four year-old son didn’t help
matter because every now and again he would ask for his sister. That would
cause me to breakdown.
This experience is a very big lesson not to trust anyone and
also investigate thoroughly before employing anyone to such a sensitive
position.
Twenty five year-old Sarah, according to Mrs. James, didn’t
give any explanations as to why she took the child.
“We are waiting for investigations to be completed before we
go to court,” Mrs. James said.
DailyTrust
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