The
Oyo State Police Command came to the aid of a 75-year-old granny and her seven
grandchildren found roaming the streets of Ibadan on Friday.
The
old woman was intercepted by a patrol vehicle of the police command after
members of the public raised the alarm that she could be involved in child
trafficking or kidnapping.
The
children’s ages range between three and seven; they are a set of triplet and
two sets of twins.
Their
father, who died last year, was the woman’s son while their physically
challenged mother works as dish washer at a local canteen in the city.
The
state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Leye Oyebade, told a Punch correspondent that
after investigations, it was discovered that the woman was looking for how to
feed the seven children.
He
said, “We were able to find the mother and realise the connection with the old
woman. She is the grandmother of the children and at the time the police
intercepted her, she was in a process of going to a media house with a view to
soliciting for funds for the upkeep of the children.
“This
is a sad situation but the state police command, as part of its responsibility
to the people, has provided some food stuffs and other items to help save the
family. It is a contribution we have to make.”
Two
bags of rice, a bag of beans, several loaves of bread and other items were
donated to the family.
The
grandmother, Tutu Awoniyi, said she lived in a rented apartment in Gbagi area
of Ibadan and that her last son, Olusola, was the father of the children.
She
said, “I went to solicit for assistance from someone in Basorun area but I got
nothing. I had no money for transport fare so I decided to trek with the seven
children back home. That was when the police approached me, thinking that I
stole the children.
“My
son, who is their father, is dead and their mother is struggling. I don’t want
hunger to take these children away from me.”
The
mother of the children, Kafayat, 30, said her husband died last year and that
she and the children lived with the grandmother.
She
said, “I live in Alabebe in Ibadan where I also work at a local restaurant
until I fell ill and lose the job. I could not go to see my children for two
months and I had no money to go to hospital. I only took herbs. Mama is my
in-law.”
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