Nigerian parents left their twins, 9, alone in the US and traveled to Nigeria

Nigerian parents, Jerusalem and Gladys Monday, have lost custody of
their 9 yr old twins after they left them mostly to themselves in
their New Hampshire apartment for four months and took their other
three children to Nigeria. They left their twins in the care of an
uncle who hardly visited. More of the story below from AP...Manchester
police said the uncle, 25-year-old Giobari Atura (pictured above),
told them he would stop by every couple of days to drop off food, but
when police got involved in November, they found no edible food in the
refrigerator and only ramen noodles in a cabinet.Atura was charged in
December with one count of endangering the welfare of a child, a
misdemeanor. He was freed on $500 bail.Atura's older brother,
Jerusalem Monday, left for Nigeria with his wife and three of their
children in July, intending to return in August. They told police they
were delayed by illness and passport problems.

The door at their apartment was ajar Thursday, but no one answered a
knock; a telephone listed in Jerusalem Monday's name was not receiving
calls. A neighbor, Christaly Garcia, said she didn't recall seeing the
boys but noted they wouldn't necessarily stand out because there are a
lot of kids in the well-kept apartment complex in New Hampshire's
largest city.The case came to light in November when officials at the
boys' school told the state Division of Children, Youth and Families
that the twins had been living on their own for months.

The kids were getting themselves up and on the bus,then eating
breakfast and lunch at school.The boys were taken into protective
custody and then placedinto foster care.Assistant Hillsborough County
Attorney Michael Valentine said the parents returned home shortly
after they learned the boys were being left alone. Because they left
them in the care of a relative, Valentine said, they won't be charged.
The boys are back with their parents.In a police affidavit, Atura said
he'd stop by the apartment on days that he went to work, but that
didn't happen every day. He said he checked on the boys three days a
week and told them to call him if they needed anything."It should be
noted that no operable phone was located withinthe apartment," the
affidavit says.

In an interview with police, one of the boys said "he felt lonely
while staying at their own house because his mom and dad were not
there and nobody was with them," according to the affidavit.

When police finally reached the parents, they said they had instructed
Atura to stay at the apartment, and if he couldn't, they gave him the
name of a family friend to contact. The parents said they stayed in
phone contact with Atura, who assured them everything was fine.His
phone number isn't listed. His lawyer, John Stanzel, did not
immediately return a call seeking comment.