Lagos ALERT! 11-year-old banana hawker stranded at Allen Avenue
“He told me his aunt would beat him if he returned home without the N800,” a good Lagosian who encountered Tope Adebiyi along Allen Road on Tuesday night told NewsroomNG.
The 11-year-old boy hawks fruits for his aunt whom he said lives at 6, Murtala Street, in Maryland, Lagos State.
“I was returning home from work last night when I saw the boy carrying a tray packed with bananas,” our good Lagosian continued.
“He was crying,” she said.
“He said he had sold some fruits worth N800 and had lost the money around 6:00 p.m. I didn’t know how he lost the money but the sight of him crying moved me. I had to help.
“It was around 8:30 p.m. It was dark and dangerous. The night was cold because of harmattan.
“When Tope told me he lives at Maryland, I took him with me on a commercial bus. But I couldn’t follow him home.
“I gave him N800 and asked him to head straight home and not sell any more fruit for the night.
“I’m not sure I will see him again but I thought the world needs to see this. We can’t have 11-year-olds hawking fruits around Lagos at night.
“I know we will blame Tope’s aunt. She could even be arrested. I don’t care.
“But our society has failed this innocent boy,” she told NewsroomNG.
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