Palpable fear has gripped residents of Ejigbo in Lagos State over the rising incidence of missing persons in the area, especially in the past one week. The Point also gathered that the police have also been in a dilemma on how to tackle the unfortunate development. As at the last count, seven persons, including a 67-yearold woman, had been reported missing in the area in just one week. A police source stated that the figure was just the reported cases.
The number could be far more than this, but we are not going to bother ourselves with those not reported to the police
A police investigator at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, Lagos, said, “The number could be far more than this, but we are not going to bother ourselves with those ones that have not been reported to the police. We want to see what we can do about these ones that have been reported to the police. The matter is becoming very challenging and worrisome.”
Investigations by The Point revealed that Ejigbo, located in the outskirts of Lagos metropolis, has c o n t i n u e d to maintain the unenviable lead in the cases of missing persons in the last one week.
he problem in and around Ejigbo is. Let me say that about 50 per cent of the missing persons’ case is coming from Ejigbo. We have deployed our intelligence officers to Ejigbo, but we have yet to get positive report,” a police source said.
It was gathered that on Sunday last week, one Endurance Ogwuguo reported at the Ojo Police station that her aunt, 67-year-old Ebele Gladys, left home and that all efforts to locate her had been futile.
Ogwuguo also stated that her aunty speaks Igbo and English languages fluently. She added that her missing aunt started behaving very strangely days before she eventually disappeared from her home. It was further gathered that policemen and members of the family had been combing all nooks and crannies of Lagos and beyond in search of Madam Ogwuguo.
Also, on Tuesday of the same week, three people, including one Ngozi Enusiobi, a 13-yearold female student of Ejigbo Grammar School, allegedly disappeared from her guardian’s home. Enusiobi, until her disappearance, was residing at Block 6, Mechanic village in Ejigbo.
Friday Adams and Nathaniel Ikeme, both of 23 Ikotun Road, Ejigbo, were also reported missing at the Ejigbo Police Station. Police sources said as at the time of this report, the search for them was still on.
Investigations also revealed that in the last one week, so many families in Ejigbo had reported cases of missing relations.
It was gathered from the police that the situation had become worrisome, especially as the incidence had continued to occur.
“Iheanacho Nwaogwugwu, aged 19 years old, just disappeared from home,” Iroapali Goodness, told the police in Ejigbo Divisional headquarters penultimate Wednesday.
Police source said the missing Nwaogwugwu had just secured admission into the Imo State University in South Eastern Nigeria. While the parents were busy trying to prepare him for resumption at the university, the young man suddenly disappeared from home and since then, his whereabouts have remained unknown.
