One month after moving into compound, tenants elope with landlady’s 2 children in Edo

A 22-year-old woman, Osaruname Faith, from Egbeta in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, has called on the state police command to help her look for her two children, Amanda and Christabel, aged four and two years, who were allegedly taken away to an unknown destination by two of her tenants, Rose and Mercy.

Speaking to newsmen in Benin city, Faith said the tenants, Rose and Mercy had just moved into her compound a month ago and built a level of trust between them. Yesterday, as she went to fetch water from the stream, she left her children with the ladies, only to return and find her children and the ladies gone. Efforts to reach them via phone has proved abortive as their numbers are currently switched off. The matter has since been reported to the police.

“Yesterday afternoon, after my children returned from school, about noon, they said they were hungry. So, I prepared food and I gave to them. Later, I decided to approach my two neighbours, Rose and Mercy, to accompany me to the stream but they said they could not climb the hill on the way to the stream. So, I told them that, since they could not follow me to the stream, I would leave my two children with them and they agreed. So, I left for the stream, but when I came back I could not find my children and my two neighbours. Everybody decided to join me to look for them but we did not see them. And when we called to their phones, they were switched off. I did not know them before but since they parked into our house, we have been living peacefully together. Based on that trust, I decided to leave my children with them. My husband later went to report the matter at the Okada police station.” she said