Lagos State Government on Monday took custody of two minors rescued by the State Task Force during one of its routine surveillance exercises at Oshodi area of the state.

The two teenagers Taoreed Olagoke, 13, and Muri Amidu, 15, both from Oyo State, were handed over to the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development in Alausa, by the Chairman of Lagos State Taskforce, Mr. Yinka Egbeyemi.

Receiving the children, the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Pharmacist (Mrs.) Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf promised that the State Government will ensure that a befitting shelter is provided for the children in one of the rehabilitation and correctional centres owned by the Government.

The Commissioner said that the children after being placed in one of the correctional centres purposely built for rehabilitation would undergo mentoring and monitoring by professional Social Workers.

She revealed that investigations are also ongoing on the possibility of reuniting the children with their respective families, saying that their families would be called upon for more fact findings on what led to the disappearance of the children since four years ago.

The Commissioner described the incident as unfortunate and also called on married individuals to continue to live harmoniously with their partners for the sake of their children and their future, adding: “This is a charge to parents to continue to live up to their responsibilities in the proper upbringing of their children so that situation similar to this where child abscond from homes can be reduced to the barest minimum.”

“I want to restate that on our part as government, we will continue to live up to our responsibility of ensuring social protection of all residents of the state and also ensure that abused minors are given the needed assistance to reinstate them into the society as reputable individuals through rehabilitation efforts,” the Commissioner reiterated.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, stated that the Ministry will also enroll the children in school since the duo have indicated interest in formal education and aspire to become police officers in the future.

Earlier, the Chairman of Taskforce, Yinka Egbeyemi, said that the operation that led to the rescue of the boys was in line with the directive of the State Commissioner of Police who constituted a joint patrol team to ensure Lagos is free of hoodlums and all forms of security threat to residents of the state.

According to the Chairman, preliminary interrogation about the background of the children revealed that the boys were victims of parental abuse who managed to find their ways to Lagos without a specific place to reside and had since the past four years been wandering about the Oshodi Mushin area of the state.

The Taskforce boss explained that the children had been previously persuaded by some hoodlums to join several cult groups before they finally agreed to be associated with ‘Omije Oju’ cult group.