The family of 15 - year - old Ajala Samuel thought they could briefly use him to raise money for some urgent family needs .
But four months after handing him over to a Lagos trader , identified as Iya Meta , who paid them N 8 , 000 , his whereabouts had yet to be known by the parents.
It was gathered that Iya Meta allegedly loaned Samuel to some traders on the Lagos Island, who paid N 72 , 000 for him.
The traders were alleged to have further given him out to another family in the state .
Two policewomen , identified as Titi and Funmilayo from the Ijora Badia division , were accused of harassing the family to refund the N 72 , 000 paid to Iya Meta , failing which Samuel would be forced to work till October 2017 when the contract would expire.
His stepfather , Idowu Isiaka , told PUNCH Metro that the family’ s crisis started in June 2016 when he lost his job .
He said , “ I worked as a security guard for a traditional ruler . When a banner displaying the man ’ s picture was stolen , I was put in a police cell for a week before I was released and told that I had lost my job.
“ At that time , Ajala ’ s mother just had a surgery and she needed money for medications . I borrowed a motorcycle from a friend and started using it to work . Later , I had an accident with the motorcycle and broke a man ’ s leg . The motorcycle was seized from me and I was asked to raise money for the victim’ s treatment.
“ I called my wife and told her that we needed to raise money by all means. I told her about Iya Meta, who lived in the community and always said she needed teenagers to work for her . We agreed to take Ajala ( Samuel ) to her so we could raise some money . ”
He added that Iya Meta offered them N 8 , 000 as payment for the two months that Samuel would work for her .
The 39 - year - old Kwara State indigene said at the expiration of the period , he was surprised that Samuel did not return home as agreed .
He said he went to Iya Meta ’ s house in the Ijora Badia area of the state and discovered she had packed out .
He said, “ When I called her on the telephone , she said she was in Seme ( Benin Republic ) on a business trip and she had taken the boy along . She apologised for not telling me. She said Ajala ( Samuel) was at home and when she got home, I would speak with him . She didn ’ t call back that day.
“ The following day , I called her and she told me that she had actually lied to me. She said the boy was with some people whom she had problem with . She told me the case was at the Ijora Badia Police Station and one officer Titi would tell us where the child was . ”
Isiaka explained that he went to the station with his wife and officer Titi told them that they must pay N 72 ,000 before the boy would be released.
He explained that the policewoman made them to realise that the money was the amount paid to Iya Meta for the victim’ s service . He added that officer Titi said Samuel would not be released until October when the contract would terminate .
When our correspondent contacted Iya Meta , she denied collecting money for Samuel , adding that the police connived with some women to turn the case against her .
She claimed that her family had turned against her over the incident, adding that she had become a fugitive.
She said, “ Prior to Ajala ’ s coming to my house , I had met three women – Rukky , Iya Ibeji and Eniketa .
They claimed that they were textile dealers on the Lagos Island and they needed young boys and girls to work for them .
“ At that time , two of my cousins came from the village to work in Lagos . I handed over the two girls to the women . They gave me N 80 , 000 as advance payment for their service .
“ It was a few weeks later that Ajala ’ s parents brought him and I gave them N 8 , 000 . The boy had barely spent a month when he attempted to escape .
He told me that his parents had instructed him to run away after getting the money from me.
“ I decided to send him to the three women so he could work with them . They didn ’ t give me anything . ”
She said a few days afterwards , she received a call from one of the girls , who claimed that she had been taken to a pepper seller who maltreated her . Iya Meta said after aiding the girl to escape and return to the village , it dawned on her that Samuel and the girls were trafficked by the women .
She said after the women did not accede her call to return the remaining victims , she paid a soldier to effect their arrest .
PUNCH Metro gathered that the husband of one of the women was caught .
Iya Meta said she later discovered that the solider had also been compromised, adding that she reported the case to the police at the Adeniji Adele and Ijora Badia divisions .
She said a few weeks later , she was at the Ijora Badia Police Division , where she met the three women .
“ The women told the police that they paid money for the children and they would not release them until their payments expired . I told the police it was not true and that I didn ’ t collect anything for Samuel .
“ They locked me up in the cell for a day. Officer Titi said I must pay N 72 , 000 before they would release Ajala (Samuel ) and my cousin, Amina , failing which the children would not be released till October, 2017 , ” she added .
She said aside from officer Titi , another policewoman , Funmilayo , was involved in the case .
PUNCH Metro reached out to the three women , who denied that Iya Meta handed the victims to them .
Rukky , however , claimed that one Idowu was in charge of Samuel .
She said , “ She collected money from Idowu for the boy to work with her . She collected N 45 , 000 and
later N 28 , 500 for the boy . I have nothing to do with the case . Iya Meta collected money for the boy ’ s service and the contract will not end until December . ”
She promised to send Idowu ’ s contact , but she had yet to do so as of press time .
When our correspondent asked Iya Meta who Idowu was, she said there was no one by the name , adding that she handed over Samuel to Rukky , who was the leader of the group .
The Director of the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender, Mrs . Olubukola Salami, said the agency
was working with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other related Matters, to ensure that the victim was rescued .
She said, “ Child abuse and child labour in any form is unacceptable in Lagos State . Being impoverished
is no excuse to use children as a bargaining chip .
The OPD , in collaboration with NAPTIP, is looking into this matter as a human trafficking case and all parties involved will be brought to book after the rescue of the boy is effected . ”
The state Police Public Relations Officer , ASP Olarinde Famous - Cole , denied the allegations against the policewomen .
He said the command was investigating a case of “ a woman who sold her child into trafficking . ”
Copyright PUNCH .

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I saw this on vanguard news this morning