Why you should be careful of people you employ as housemaids

In recent times, many families have suffered untold hardship as a result of housemaids employed by them to take care of their children and homes while at work.

Recently a video went viral where a housemaid was seen beaten a toddler violently, and even fed him with his own feaces, unknown to her there was CCTV that captured trauma of the child.

This weekend, a 26-year-old housemaid, Franker Amaha, was arrested by operatives of Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, for stealing the sum of N1.6 million in foreign currencies from her employer, six hours after she was employed.

The Cross River State born suspect was said to have approached an agent for housemaid job on July 24, 2019, and supplied the agent with fake names, address and fake guarantor and the agent after shoddy background check, got her a job at the home of one Mrs Taiye in Masha area of Surulere Lagos State on July 25, 2019.

Two hours into her new job, Amaha accompanied her boss to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, where they had gone to pick up her madam’s sister who was returning into the country from a trip abroad. On arriving their home, Amaha, was said to have sneaked into the room where the luggage of her madam’s sister was kept and stole the sum of $2,800; 1000 British Pounds and 2000 Dutch Guilder and fled the house.

This incident which happened six hours after Amaha was employed, left her boss and her sister in deep confusion. They reported the matter to the police in Surulere but Amaha could not be located as her mobile lines were switched off while her address and that of her guarantor turned out to be fake.

A distraught Mrs Taiye, was said to have alerted the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu and operatives of the IRT, headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, was directed to track down the fleeing housemaid. A crack team from the Lagos office of the IRT, was thereafter deployed and few days into their assignment, they apprehended Amaha in the home of one of her friends in Ajah area of Lagos State.

When Amaha was interviewed she said she stole the money from her boss because she needed money to treat her sick mother.