In a distressing incident in Bako community, located in the Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, two women have allegedly abducted their neighbor’s two children. The incident occurred two weeks after the women moved into an apartment in the area. The siblings, identified as Hauwa (5 years old) and her younger brother Marwan (2 years old), were taken by the women on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
The news of the abduction has caused confusion and concern within the community, as the parents of the two children are desperately trying to locate the women and recover their missing children.
The unfortunate series of events began when two-year-old Marwan began crying while his mother was engaged in prayer. Seizing the opportunity, one of the new tenants named Godiya offered to hold the boy to prevent him from distracting his mother during prayers. However, instead of returning the child, Godiya took both Marwan and his older sister Hauwa, claiming that she intended to buy biscuits for them. Unfortunately, she never came back.
After completing her prayers, the mother anxiously awaited the return of the tenant and her two children. However, as time passed with no sign of their arrival, the mother grew increasingly worried. Overwhelmed by concern, she cried out for help, alerting the attention of other neighbors to the distressing situation.
Despite their efforts, the mother and concerned neighbors conducted a thorough search of the neighborhood, but there was no sign of the missing two children or their new neighbor. The situation took an even more shocking turn when agitated neighbors decided to forcefully enter the room occupied by the new tenants. To their dismay, they discovered that the room was completely empty, indicating that the two women had meticulously planned the abduction and had taken their few belongings before fleeing with the children.
In an interview with the publication, the father of the missing children, Dauda Saliu, revealed that the two women had recently moved into a one-room apartment in the vicinity, a mere two weeks prior to the unfortunate incident.
According to Saliu, ever since the two women moved in, Godiya had been regularly giving gifts to his children. Although he felt uneasy about the situation, he was unable to intervene due to the demands of his job, which often kept him away from home for most of the day.
“I was not at home when the incident happened. It happened around 6pm yesterday (Wednesday). Their mother was praying while the youngest child was crying, and one of the ladies took them with her under the guise that she wanted to buy biscuits for them. Other people in the community saw my children with one of them but did not suspect anything because she was always playing with them,” the troubled father said.
“When it was taking long and they did not return, my wife called on the ladies and knocked on their door but there was no response. She called on other neighbours who broke their door only to discover that their room was empty.
“I knew one of them was usually buying biscuits and drinks for my children and I was never comfortable with the idea. I work as a security guard and because of the nature of my job which is always taking me away from home, my warnings against that were not effective. This would not have happened if they heeded my words.
“The ladies are new; we only know the name of one of them who introduced herself as Godiya. It is painful that this has happened to me.”
Saliu also regretted that efforts made to get the ladies’ details from the landlord had not yielded results.
“We have contacted the landlord when the incident happened to see if we could trace them but he doesn’t have their details. He told us they were yet to fill out the needed forms. We are currently at the Bako Police Station to report the matter,”.
SP Josephine Adeh, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, stated that she has not received any information regarding the incident.
Blessing Immaculate Abraham, in a Facebook post shared on LIB, mentioned that one of the women was wearing a black skirt and purple top when she disappeared with the two children at around 6:00 PM on Wednesday.
Additionally, Abdul Yakubu shared photographs of the missing children and appealed to anyone with relevant information about their whereabouts to contact the police or use the following phone numbers: 09154600268, 08116635774.
