A 12-year-old primary six pupil of Alaguntan Primary School, Iyana
Ipaja, Lagos, Kingsley Peter, who was by his guardian of a sum of N1,
000, has fled home.
He ran away from home since the morning of Tuesday, November 25, and is yet to return.
Peter
was brought to Lagos by his uncle, Ubani from the Obi Ngwa Local
Government Area of Abia State in 2011, and had been enrolled in school
to continue with his education.
They live at Ogunbowale Street, Moshalashi in the Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos.
On the morning of that Tuesday, Ubani, who suspected that a sum of N1,
000 was missing from his purse, had asked Peter, who allegedly had a
habit of pilfering, to produce the money.
Ubani, a commercial driver, said all that he knew was that the boy sneaked out of the house, and had since failed to come back.
He told Punch:
“When
Peter’s parents- my elder brother and his wife- died about three years
ago, I brought him from our village in Abia to be staying with me in
Lagos. I enrolled him in a primary school in the area. I have a son too,
and he is an undergraduate. So, I wanted Peter to be educated.
Unfortunately, he plays truancy, and also has a habit of stealing.Two
months before this incident, I had also been looking for N18, 000 in the
house, before Peter confessed that he took it. Later on, he was able to
return only N11, 000.
“It was about 7am on that Tuesday when I was
looking for a N1, 000 note in the house and I called him. He was already
dressed up for school. When I asked him, he did not say anything, and
within minutes, he just sneaked to the backyard. Believe me; that was
the last time I set my eyes on him.”
Apart from the N1, 000, Peter had allegedly stolen about N25, 000 belonging to Ubani’s wife.
When a visit was paid to Alaguntan Primary School, it was learnt that
Peter had stepped his feet in school since the day before his
disappearance. One of Peter’s friends, whose name was given as Yusuf,
said he once saw the missing boy around a football club centre in the
Ikeja area.
Another friend was said to have also seen Peter
around the Iyana Ipaja Roundabout on an evening, but Peter reportedly
mixed with the crowd, after hearing someone calling out his name.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the incident, adding that anyone who saw the boy should report to the police.