I want to return to my Parents, 15-year-old domestic help

 

A 15-year-old domestic help, Bridget Jang, says she wants to return to her family.

Jang, who was sent to Lagos from the Bukuru area of Jos, Plateau State, sometime in April, said she worked as a housemaid for a woman in the Ojota area.

Our correspondent gathered that Jang, who was not being paid any money, fled the apartment where she worked on Sunday, May 31, after the woman allegedly threatened to brutalise her for misconduct.

It was learnt that Jang, who was not familiar with Lagos, roamed the street until a Good Samaritan brought her to the Ibafo Police Division in Ogun State.

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Speaking with PUNCH Metro, Jang, who said she was in Basic Five in Jos, explained that it was her uncle, identified only as David, who asked her to come to Lagos to work and stay with the woman.

She added that she could not recall the woman’s address or name, as she was always indoor doing domestic chores.

She said, “It was my uncle, David, who asked me to come to Lagos. I cannot remember the date. He said I should come to Lagos to stay with a madam. He put me in a bus. He gave the driver the madam’s phone number. When we arrived, he called her and she came to pick me.

“I was staying in her house. I washed clothes, plates and cleaned the house. She has two children. I was not collecting any money. She used to beat me. That was why I ran away.

“She told me the work I was doing for her was rubbish. She wanted to beat me again; I then ran away. I don’t know anywhere; I was walking up and down the area. It was someone who took me to the police.

“In Jos, my father and mother knew I was coming to Lagos. I have one elder brother and one sister. My father sells clothes, while my mother is a fashion designer. I want to return to Jos. I want to go back to my parents. I want to continue my schooling.”

The police at the Ibafo division told PUNCH Metro that they had tried to reach the family of the girl in Jos, but the relatives were evasive because they knew they were culpable in the matter.

A police officer said the family instead promised to send Jang’s transport fare, which they had yet to do as of the time of the report.

It was learnt that the girl would be taken to a social welfare centre in the Owode area of Ogun State untill she would be taken home.

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Muyiwa Adejobi, said the police would like the public to be aware of the girl’s plight before she was transferred to the centre.

He said, “We have done all to locate her family, but they were not willing to show up. The girl has been with the police, and we are now handing her over to a social welfare centre.”