… Agony of parents.
By Edoamaowo Udeme
Ini Etim Adam, in her 30s, a single mother of three was returning from Church Service in the evening hours of a warm Sunday in 2012 when three young men on a motorcycle descended on her, grabbed the last child, then 3 years old and made away with him.
“I will never forget how he was wailing and stretching his hands calling me to come and rescue him, but I was helpless, two of them had descended on me while the third one was holding onto the motorcycle waiting for them to finish their mission and join him” Said Ini, an indigene of Ikot Obio Etan in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria.
Inyene Eduwem, an indigene of Ikot Ekpeyak Ikono probably would have protected his children if he were faced with a similar fate with Ini but his own case was different. On the 8th June 2018, in preparatory for school the next day, his two children, a boy and a girl were returning from a barbershop, a two-minute walk from home when someone held them by the hands and told them he wants to take them to their parents. By the time words went round, someone said they saw a man carrying one child and holding another by the hand. No other description given. End of story!
Ofonbuk and Abasiofon Inyene Eduwem disappeared. Vanished. Not seen till date.
Inyene, their father tired of searching when the obvious dawned on him, went into shock and was bedridden for months.Again, On 28 December 2019, Goodness Bassey Tom, a single mother two, from Ikot Ekpeyak Ikono, Uyo Local Government of Akwa Ibom State, who buried her mother a week earlier, was busy serving food at her cousins traditional marriage when she observed that Esther Otobong Victor, her 6 year old daughter whom she just gave a bottle of coca cola to, was nowhere to be found. Thinking she may have gone to ease herself, she relaxed a bit but motherly instinct told her otherwise, she dumped the remaining food and went in search of her, but Esther was nowhere to be found.
Needless to say, the traditional marriage broke half way and all effort to locate Esther proved abortive. Till date.
THE POLICE INVOLVEMENT
Ini Etim Adam according to her, was initially scared to approach the police because according to her, “I never had money to eat and feed my children, which money will I use to report to the Police”? But on the urging of friends, she reported the matter to the Ikot Nya Police Division, “I was subsequently accused of selling my child, I was detained, locked up for two weeks until good Samaritans contributed money to bail me out, It was the most torturous two weeks of my life, I lost both my child and my freedom, as if that was not enough, I was accused of selling my child” Ini added.
“My two weeks detention at the police station made me regret ever involving the police who did nothing other than abuse me daily calling me names and telling me to mention the amount I used in selling my child.
The culprits walked away and were having a ball!
Inyene on the other hand gathered all the funds he could and hit the road in search of his children, “I toured all the 9 Area Commands of the South-South in search of my children, I don’t want to talk about the money I spent on the police alone, it was a fruitless effort”. Anytime I hear that some children have been recovered somewhere, I went to check. I went as far as Bayelsa to check when they said some children have been found, all to no avail, .and then my health failed, I was numb, couldn’t feel anything, I became bedridden.
Goodness Bassey on the other hand, contacted the police “I was told to bring N15, 000 so that they can transfer the case from Itam Division to Ikot Akpan Abia, the Police Headquarters and also announce it on the radio, I managed to give them N12, 500, I had on me but nothing has happened since then” Said Goodness.
She was asked if she suspected anybody, Goodness told them she suspected their former tenant, a mini bus driver simply known as Attah, who moved out of their house just a few days before her child went missing. On why she suspects him, she has no tangible reason. “And the police after collecting the money, simply told me to go home and alert them anytime I saw Attah, no other advice was given to me”. Speculations that the child was seen inside a minibus driven by the same Attah, later led to the arrest and subsequent detention.
TRADING BLAMES
When the Investigating Police Officer at Itam Division handling the case of Goodness Bassey was contacted by this reporter, the lady (name withheld) admitted that the money was for onward transfer of the case from Itam Division to the Headquarters in Ikot Akpan Abia while she blamed Goodness for not having a phone and not reaching out to them is she had sighted the suspected kidnapper. However, another female who claimed to be an inspector also blamed Goodness and even added that she suspects she knows where her child is kept. The case is still pending as the suspect is still in custody.
Inyene on the other hand, said he had since given up on the police as he spent a lot of money to no avail, he however resorted to Churches, “Having gone everywhere, I was eventually taken to a popular white garment church in Cross River and then I got the assurance that my children were alive, I have a solid conviction that they will come back, The Head of the church promised me and I believe him”.
Ini Etim Adam on her part vowed never to approach police for anything “Not in this life, not in the next life, however, some people were later caught and confessed to selling her child to a Hausa man” She is still not sure if it is the truth but she is also convinced that her child will return someday, if that will be possible in year 2020, the child will be aged 11.
A NEW DIMENTION
There are speculations that some stolen children are sold by the parents, a case in question is that of a missing child in Akwa Ibom State who was later recovered in a remote area of the northern Cross River State by a relative who went to trade, on enquiry, it was discovered that the father who had separated from the mother, kidnapped the child who was in her mother’s custody and sold her off. The father later confessed to selling her for N20,000 and blamed his deeds on poverty. The little girl has since reunited with her mother.
Apart from the ones mentioned above, there are some reports of armed robbers breaking into homes and stealing new born babies.
The big questions are; How can we differentiate a kidnapped child and a sold one? How do we trust the Security agents to assist us each time we are faced with kidnapping issue when those affected so far are complaining that they demand for money each time? What security measures has the Government of Akwa Ibom State put in place to checkmate kidnapping and Are there crisis centers where parents and relations of kidnapped victims can run to for help?
As for Ini Etim Adam, Inyene Eduwem and Goodness Bassey, one cannot but pray that their children are reunited with them, Someday, Soon.
