Imagine How 5 Hungry Children Burgled A Shop To Steal

When poverty sing a song. Five children aged between 12 and 14 have been caught at Idofin Elega in the Abeokuta area of Ogun State, for burglary.

The children allegedly scaled the gate into a shop in the community around 12am on Friday.

They reportedly carted away foodstuffs from the shop, but were caught by OPC members in the area.

The kids were subsequently handed over to the police at the Adatan station. A clip of the incident was shared on social media by one Bola Alao-Ogbu on November 5.

While being questioned by residents, the children blamed their action on maltreatment and hunger.

None of them reportedly lived with their parents.

One Musa, who identified himself as the leader of the gang, said he fled from an Arabic school, where he lived, due to maltreatment.

He said his friend, Oloyede, brought the idea of the burglary.

Musa said, “Oloyede and I were passing by one day. He pointed at the shop and suggested that we should go at night to steal from the shop. Around 12am when people had slept, we entered the shop.

“My parents live in Ajegunle (a neighbouring community). They took me to an Arabic school in Isage. But my friend, Yinusa, and I were maltreated at the school and we fled. I have never had formal education.”

Oloyede said his mother was late and he lived with his paternal grandmother in the Itoku area of Ogun State.

Another kid, Yinusa, said he started living in the Arabic school after his mother died.

Another child, Tunde, stated that his father lived in Lagos, while his mother resided in Soyoye, Abeokuta.

He, however, said he lived with his grandmother.

The fifth child, Adeola, also said he was not living with his parents.

Social media users, who commented on the post on Facebook, said the children should not be blamed for the crime.

While some took a swipe at their parents, others attributed the misdemeanour to government’s indifference to the welfare of the poor.

One Idris Odunlami, wrote:

 "If you listen to the children very well, you will see that none of them has a good parent. Their parents are separated, while some of them are staying with grandmas or alfas who have responsibilities to take care of. People just give birth to children they can’t take good care of.”

Another poster, Abiola Babatunde, also put the blame on the children’s parents.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the children had been taken to a juvenile centre for rehabilitation.

The PPRO advised parents not to shy away from their responsibilities.