A kidnap syndicate in the guise of a nanny, Funmilayo Adeyemi, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons after she was arrested on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 for kidnapping the three children of her employer just a day after she was hired via the OLX sales portal in Lagos State.
35-year-old Adeyemi, a mother of four who claimed that her name was Mary Akinloye, disappeared into the thin air on Friday, April 10, 2015 with the victims from the Orekoya family in the Surulere axis of Lagos State.
She initially demanded a whooping ransom of N15 Million and later relaxed it a bit to N13 Million after much negotiation with the family.
It was learnt that N2 million was paid into a given bank account to bait the suspects before the arrest by the operatives of the Special Anti- Robbery Squad, Ikeja division.
The children identified as Demola, 6, Adedamola, 4, and Aderomola, 11months, were later dumped naked in an uncompleted building on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 after nine days in their abductors’ custody.
The suspect’s mother, Prophetess Esther Adeyemi who was visibly shocked at the Ikeja police station after she saw her daughter being paraded on TV following her shocking confession.
Prophetess Adeyemi who is a widow claimed that her visit to the police station to identify the suspect on Monday, April 20, 2015 was the first time she was seeing her daughter since she left home in 2005.
She said, “She told me that she was going back to school and never came back home. She left us eight years ago. They kidnapped and hypnotized my daughter.
“All has always been well till their father died. He was killed during the Ife and Modakeke fight. During that time, we were based in Calabar and as expected we were evicted from the barracks and we relocated to Osun State.
“He died as a Chief Superintendent of Police. Luckily, I am a prophetess and I decided to embrace my ministry. I had to get closer home and most importantly close to the mountain. By the grace of God, I became popular in Lagos and Ajah.
“As the first daughter of the house, I wanted the best for her, so I invested in her education. She got admission to study Survey at Osun Polytechnic. After her graduation, she worked briefly as a receptionist till one day in 2005, she came to me that she wanted to go back to school for her HND.
“I gave her enough money to sustain her for months. This was the last I heard from her. I was worried but anytime that I attempted to call the police, she will call her sister and tell her that she is fine. This always happened anytime I go to the mountain to pray.
“She is 35 years and old enough to be a mother but I never knew that I had four grandchildren from her.”
On why she failed to use her prophetic gift to locate her daughter, the woman said, “I never knew that she was lost, so I did not bother focusing my prayer on her.
“I felt that she is an adult and should be allowed to live her life. Most especially, since she gets in touch with her sister, I felt no need to worry. The only time I spoke with her, she said that she was in South Africa.”
The prophetess further implored the Orekoya family and others who have fallen victims of her daughter’s kidnap syndicate to forgive her daughter as she was hypnotized.
“They kidnapped my daughter and placed her under a spell. What sort of human being from a Christian background will suddenly decide to sell their soul to the devil?
“Please, forgive my daughter and give me the chance to break the spell. You all heard that she claimed that she wanted to expand their family wealth. Which normal woman would be working for a man who has refused to marry her after four children? Please, have mercy on my daughter. I thank God that none of the kids died in the process,” Prophetess Adeyemi pleaded.
According to her, she learnt about the incident when her little daughter drew her attention to the viral news on various social media.
“She called me that a lady who looks like my daughter is on her whatsapp. I waved it aside till I saw her pictures everywhere. It was a great shock. I prayed for the ground to open and swallow me.
“The shame was too much but no matter how bad a child turns out to be, a mother cannot abandon him or her. I am ashamed but all the same I thank God that she is truly alive.
“It could be God’s way of rescuing my daughter from the hands of those criminals. She is under a spell and almighty God will help me deliver her,” Prophetess Adeyemi stated.
It was learnt that three of the suspect’s cohorts were still on the run and are yet to be apprehended.
It was also alleged that the kidnappers were able to withdraw about N400,000 using ATM before the bank placed it on red alert and blocked further withdrawals.
Speaking exclusively with The Sun, the suspect said, “I am a graduate of Osun polytechnic and I have Diploma in Survey. After my studies, I got a job as a receptionist in Osun State, it was there I met Rasheed Kareem and we became friends.
“I was worried that at the age of 27, I was yet to get married. Luckily, I got pregnant for him and he accepted responsibility for the pregnancy. He introduced me to his family and they accepted me.
“He also promised that as soon as his finance improves, that he would marry me in church. Since I knew that he would finally become my husband, I had three other kids making them four.”
“I knew that there was something wrong about him but I needed to marry as I was not getting younger. I knew that if I complained, I would lose him to other women.
“This was why when my brother-in-law came up with the idea that they wanted me to help them kidnap children, I accepted. I accepted because since I am a mother, I will ensure that all the children kidnapped were well taken care of.”
“They gave me different names, including Mary Akinloye. All I know is that as soon as they get anyone, I will be the one to make the call and follow it up.
“This was how they contacted the Esharegaran family in Magodo and several others, including the Orekoya family. I will paint a picture of a poor lady who was looking for nanny job. I will demand to know the kind of accommodation.
“Even when I go to their houses, my husband and in-law will follow me to assess the environment. If there is any need for a guarantor, my mother-in-law will pose as my mother who lives in Ikorodu.
“Everybody in that family was involved, so it was very easy to co-ordinate. If it is not good, I will call and give an excuse for my lack of interest in the job. The one at Magodo was a good one.”
