The father of the three children
abandoned in a boarding school for eight years in Abule-Iroko in Ado-Odo Ota
Local Government Area of Ogun State, Mr Segun Adepegba, on Wednesday, reached
out to Punch on the saga that led to him run away from his beautiful kids.
Adepegba said hardship pushed him to
the wall and that was why he could not take care of his children.
The father of three, in a telephone
interview with Punch, recounted his ordeal, saying, “life has been very tough
for me.” He said he left them because he was jobless and had no house to
accommodate them.
While narrating his ordeal, he said,
“In 2007, my wife and I had a misunderstanding and
she told me she was leaving me. I was frustrated and the children were little.
Seyi, the youngest was just two years while Titilola was just five.
“There was no way I could give them
motherly care. I had no job. As a man, I needed someone to help me take care of
them and that was why my sister suggested that we enrol them in a boarding
school.”
He, however, promised to visit them
before the end of the week.
On Tuesday, Punch reported that Adepegba’s children-Seun, 14, Titilola 13, and Seyi, 10, had been abandoned since 2007 at Solid Rock Model College in Abule-Iroko. The children, who had been eager to meet their parents, said the absence of their parents was affecting their studies.
On Tuesday, Punch reported that Adepegba’s children-Seun, 14, Titilola 13, and Seyi, 10, had been abandoned since 2007 at Solid Rock Model College in Abule-Iroko. The children, who had been eager to meet their parents, said the absence of their parents was affecting their studies.
For many years, the school
authorities had been trying to reach Adepegba to no avail. The proprietor of
the school, Mr Samuel Ayegbusi, had told our correspondent that any time he
called Adepegba and he realised it was him, he would switch off his phones.
Adepegba, however, bowed to pressure
after reading the report by Punch. He said that abandoning his children was
inevitable, promising that he would visit the school.
Adepegba told PUNCH that when the
children’s bills kept accumulating and he had no means of paying, he was afraid
that if he came to the school, the proprietor would get him arrested.
He said, “I feared that if I
suddenly appeared at the school, the proprietor would get the police to arrest
me. I really appreciate the proprietor of Solid Rock Model College, for coming
to my rescue and accepting the responsibility to help me take care of my
children. The truth is this: I was pushed to the wall. I didn’t want my
children to be beggars on the street.
“All these years, I have been
jobless. I had no house to live in. I was putting up with someone. I just
rented a one-room apartment and just got a job. I am not a wicked father. I
really miss them but I am gradually overcoming the challenges I have been
facing. I did not abandon them in that sense. I can assure you that before the
week runs out, I will visit them.”
Asked whether his wife had called
him about how the children were doing, Adepegba said since she left him in
2007, he had not heard from her.
“The last time we saw each other was
probably in 2007 when she left me. I have been trying to reach her but my
search has not been fruitful. I heard that she is somewhere in the northern
part of the country,” he said.
However, the school proprietor said
the school authorities had no intention of getting Adepegba arrested for his
debt. He said he reported the matter to Ogun State Police Command because he
was fed up.
He said, “I have nothing against Mr
Adepegba and I understand his plight. My grievance was that he kept on
rejecting my calls and abandoned his children. How could he as a father leave
his children for this long? It is not a good thing.”
It was learnt that the news of their
father’s return had lifted the heart of the children. The children were all
smiles when they were told that their father had promised to return before the
end of the week.
Speaking with PUNCH on phone on
Wednesday, Seun, the eldest of the trio said, “I am very happy that daddy has
promised to come back. It means I would not have to spend my holidays in the
school again.”
Titilola added, “I hope this is not
another promise that will fail. I am really looking forward to seeing him
because it will make me very happy.”
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