The parents of three-year-old Muhaisin Awaz and Abdallah Abdulazeez, 6, are distressed after the two children allegedly disappeared during a Jumat service at Oniyanrin, in the Mile 12, Ketu area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the families of the two children are friends and Abdulazeez’s mother had visited Muhaisin’s parents on that Friday to inform them of her plans to travel to her hometown in Kano State.
She was said to be heavily pregnant and wanted to give birth in Kano.
During the visit, the two children were said to be playing together when they heard the call to Islamic prayers.
Our correspondent learnt that the two children hurried downstairs to join other Islamic faithfuls for the prayers.
They were said to have gone missing during the payers as they could not be found afterwards.
Muhaisin’s sister, Sekiyat, told PUNCH Metro that the incident happened around 1.30pm on December 16.
She said, “We are friends with Abdallah’s parents. We are from the same hometown in Kano State and live in the same Hausa community in Mile 12. Abdallah’s mother is pregnant and due for delivery. She came to inform us that she would be travelling to Kano to have her baby. She said she would be going on Sunday.
“While the two children were playing, we heard the call to prayers. We have a mosque on the ground floor of our house. But during Jumat service, people pray on the street. So, we thought they had gone to join others for the prayers on the street. But after the prayers, we couldn’t find them.”
The three-year-old’s mother, Ramotu, said the families had gone to different police stations in Lagos, including Ketu, Ojodu and Ikeja police divisions, adding that their efforts were futile.
She noted that the families were anxious to hear from whoever took them away, adding that nobody had called for ransom.
She said, “We have asked from people who were at the mosque and they claimed that they didn’t see them. A woman, however, told us that she sighted them two houses away from our house and she asked them where they were going, but she didn’t get a response.
“Nobody has called us for any ransom. And these two children don’t even know the way home. One is in nursery one and the other is a nursery two pupil. We are at a loss on their whereabouts.”
Our correspondent was told that Abdulazeez’s parents were not available for comments and they could only communicate in Hausa.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chike Oti, said he would get back to PUNCH Metro, but had yet to do so as of press time.
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