We’ve Been Hiring Nannies Online For Four Years — Father Tells Is Ordeal

Mr. Adeleke Orekoya tells ARUKAINO UMUKORO about his ordeal during his children’s stay in the kidnappers’ den

How would you describe the experience for you and your family before your children were rescued?

It cannot be described, but it has been a lot of deep-seated grief at some point. It was so bad that I couldn’t differentiate between who was by my side and who was not, because of the different reports that I got from the different security agencies, and the kidnappers. To a large extent, it has been an eye-opener. I never knew that such a thing existed until now. But thankfully, it has all changed for the better. I’m happy now because I’ve found my children and I did not see any physical damage on their bodies.

What did the hospital check-up on the children reveal?



It was just traces of malaria. They were also without clothes during the ordeal, and they walked barefoot where they were kept for most of the time.

Where were the children found?

They were found at Egbeda, Shasha area of Lagos State.

Were the kidnappers up to five members?

They were more than that.

Were you in contact with all of them?

I was not in contact with all of them, but I can’t disclose the number.

When was the first time you contacted the kidnappers?

The moment the children were abducted on Tuesday, the telephone lines of the nanny, the aunt and the brother were all switched off, until that Wednesday morning before 7am when we got a call from the nanny. She asked if we wanted our children back and how many of them we wanted back and if we were ready to pay. That was when the ransom demand was made.

How many times did you speak with them?

We had several conversations; we tried to reach an agreement on what the ransom would be, and we were asking to speak with the children.

Was this your first attempt at getting a housemaid?

No. Getting housemaids on OLX has been a normal practice for us. We have been doing it for the past four years. In fact, two nannies before this lady were hired through OLX. The agent of that nanny responded to us and sent us several nannies and we interviewed them. It was not the first time. The last nanny stayed with us for two years but she left late last year.

How come no proper background check was done on this particular nanny?

The background check was scheduled to take place the very week she absconded. We all agreed that we were going to meet with the nanny’s aunt. Usually, before now, the agents would conduct the background check and give us a form to fill with the photo identification etc. Now, in this particular case, we had issues with time factor. The reason was because the nanny we had before only stayed one month. She was on Easter break but she did not return on the Easter Sunday night she was supposed to return; neither did she pick up her calls. We called her agent who told us she was going to get us a replacement. We didn’t get to hear from her agent throughout that Sunday. So, that Sunday night, we put up an advert on OLX to see how fast anybody could respond.

How long did it take this nanny to respond?

We put up the advert on Sunday. She responded the next day, on Monday morning. Through OLX, we had got three nannies, including the fake one. There was no agent in this fake nanny’s case. The person that stood as her agent claimed to be the sister. Apparently, they were cohorts.

Why did you decide to raise money through the media?

The need to solicit funds from the media and social media was borne out of advice from the security agents. There was the need to make the kidnappers realise that one was pushing hard to raise money. We were also using that opportunity to beat down their ransom request of N13m; so that in case the kidnappers made their demands again, we would be able to say we had tried all means to ask for help. That was what we did. When we were now at an advanced stage of negotiation, we stopped all requests on social media and other platforms.

What about the claim by some that the kidnap was a scam?

If it was a scam, I must be very good to have scammed the police commissioner, SARS, the State Security Services, and all the security agencies, because they were all involved, making telephone calls, managing telephone calls, including mine, my wife’s, and anyone that had communication with me, including pressmen. So, I would have been very good to have outsmarted all of them. This is part of the reason why Nigeria as a country finds it hard to grow. When everything involves money, we always think it is a scam.

Why don’t you want to talk about the ransom?

If one mentions that a ransom was paid or not paid, what difference would it make? But one thing is clear, the fact that the children are back was the ultimate goal of everything we had done. Now, if at all a ransom was paid or not paid and people talk about the amount, the lives of people that also have nannies would be at risk because everybody would be thinking that nannies are gold miners and would want them to kidnap kids for them.

Was a ransom paid in this case and how much was paid?

I cannot confirm if a ransom was paid. I cannot even confirm anything around the ransom as we speak. All comments about the ransom will be made once the investigation is complete.

But it should be an easy thing for you to say if the police were involved in the rescue or not?

No, I cannot make any comment in that regard.

As a parent what lessons have you learnt from this episode?

I’ve learnt one thing; never prioritise work and time over human life. It is important in everything we do.