A middle-aged man Onyedinka Esiala, who was caught using two underaged children with fake stomach tumours to solicit funds at Mile 2 area of Lagos have been arrested.
Esiala, a native of Enugu State, who was nabbed in the act revealed that he was recruited by his boss to use the children to beg for alms while they pretend to be suffering from stomach tumours.
NigeriaCrime.com learned that the children were trafficked from their village in the East to Lagos.
Esiala who was almost lynched by an irate mob at the scene said I was employed by my boss Oga Uche who is the brain behind the scam. It was ‘Oga Uche’ who brings the kids to Lagos every year he goes to the Eastern part of the country during the festive period.”
“Some years back, while I was unemployed, Oga Uche told me to be helping him to be taking these children out for begging which I agreed to.”
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Each time I am about to take the kids from Orile to Mile 2 pedestrian bridge, Oga Uche will give them drugs though I don’t know the name of the medicines which will make their stomachs get swollen for some hours. Their mothers are aware of the business. Their mothers stay in the village.
“The children were staying with them in the village before Oga Uche brought them to Lagos. The girls are not my sisters, but their mother often brings them to Oga Uche. Some kids stay a year with us, and half of the money made from begging is sent to their mothers in the village. Oga Uche gives them black medicine.
“Oga Uche brought one of the kids last year December while the other girl has spent three months with us. There is a boy among them who did not come today because he is not feeling too well.
“We do not come every day. We come three times a week. We have another set of people that stay at Ajagbadi, but I don’t know the exact place. The person that handles that of Ajagbadi is different from the one handling us in Mile 2. The name is Goodluck, but he is currently not in Lagos, he travelled, and his younger brother is in charge,” he added.
The fraudulent act of Esiala was exposed by a passer-by who noticed that was suspicious of their activity.
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