The National Security and Civil Defence Corps, Osun State Command, on Wednesday, said it has commenced a probe into the circumstances surrounding the abduction of a five-month-old baby on a farm in Agbeye town.

The security agency said the child was laid under a tree, while the mother picked firewood nearby, but at the time she returned to the spot where the child was laid to breastfeed the baby, she could not find her.

The command while expressing concerns over rising cases of missing children in the state, said between August 2 and 27, three different cases of missing persons, who happened to be underaged were reported at the command.

The Osun NSCDC boss, Dr. Michael Adaralewa, in a statement made available by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Kehinde Adeleke, said the parents of the Agbeye incident are deaf and dumb.

The statement recalled that on August 2, it was reported at the Osun NSCDC Command Headquarters, that a male child, aged one year and three months was kidnapped in the Osunjela community.

The statement read, “Discreet investigation revealed that one lady known as Tawa was introduced to the mother of the baby by a family friend known as Sodiq, who said Tawa wanted to learn bag making from the woman.

“The very first day the suspect, Tawa, came to work, she carried the baby belonging to her boss, pretending to be playing with him.

“She thereafter went out with the baby’s elder sister, said to be 10 years old, who was sent on an errand.

“While on their way, Tawa, who was still carrying the 3-month-old boy, asked the baby’s elder sister to go and deliver potatoes to the mother. However, Tawa took away the baby.”

It added, “Also, on the same day, there was a report that a three-year-old child went missing at Ifesowapo Street, Owode, Osogbo, Osun State. Investigation revealed that the child was last seen playing in a shop and his whereabouts have not been known till now.

“Moreover, another five-month-old female child belonging to deaf and dumb parents in Agbeye town, Odo-Otin local government of Osun state, was kidnapped on Tuesday, 27th August 2024 on a farm, where her mother was gathering firewood.

“The child was laid under a shade of trees so that the mother could quickly finish packing the firewood. By the time the mother went back to breastfeed the baby, she was nowhere to be found.”

Assuring that the command was working hard to apprehend the perpetrators of the crime, the commandant, urged artisans and employers of labour to do proper profiling of those they wanted to employ.

He also enjoined parents to keep a close tab on their children, stressing the need for them to prioritize the safety of their wards, especially during the holiday period. (The Punch)

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