Last week we
reported the story of an abandoned property at Idi Mangoro, Soka community in
Ibadan that was discovered with about 15 chained people suspected to have been
kidnapped. Read HERE. For the family of
Mrs Cecilia Obaikhena one of the rescued victim, it was joy turned sour as she has
gone missing again Nigerian Tribune reports.
When they got the
news of the discovery of a kidnappers’ den in Ibadan and saw the picture of
their long-lost mother and grandmother adorning the cover of the Sunday
Tribune, they were elated. Pronto Victor and Vivian, son and granddaughter
respectively, of Cecilia Obaikhena, who was one of the inmates freed from the
den, rushed down to Ibadan from their Lagos base to take their matriarch back
home.
They got to
Ibadan on Tuesday and headed for Soka area where the den was discovered. They
searched everywhere for their matriarch but she was no where to be found.
They were advised
to go to the State Hospital at Yemetu, where some of the inmates were taken.
So, they headed for the place but it was futile because Mrs Cecilia Obaikhena
was not among the patients in the hospital.
Determined to see
their mother/grandmother, they toured all the police stations in the vicinity
clutching the pictures of their matriarch as well as a copy of the Sunday
Tribune but tried as much as they did, they could not locate Mrs
Obaikhena.
So, they headed
for the Tribune House at Imalefalafia to see if they could find help.
Explaining how
the woman disappeared, Vivian said the old woman in 2008, went to the market
where she was residing in Iruekpen, Edo State, but she never returned home. She
said they went searching for her at police stations, and made announcements on
media houses, including NTA Iruekpen, but their efforts brought no success.
“Since 2008, we
have been looking for her,” Vivian said.
Narrating how
they got to know about the kidnappers’ den, Vivian said, “On Monday, I was
browsing with my phone when I came across the Ibadan House of Horror story on a
blog. Immediately, I saw the picture of one of the victims and I recognized her
as our long lost granny, then I left for Ibadan and came in company with my
uncle who is her son.”
Voicing their
frustration at the futility of their effort to find the woman, Vivian said, she
noted through the by-line that the photograph of the old woman was exclusive to
the Nigerian Tribune, hence their visit to the Tribune House to make enquiries
as to the exact time and location of the woman, when the photograph was taken.
“How could a
woman who was found on Saturday have disappeared almost without a trace on
Tuesday?” Vivian lamented.
Our photographer,
who was at the site to cover the discovery on Saturday, said around 8.00pm he
happened on the scene where the old woman in question, was being trailed by a
small crowd as she was slowly walking away from the den while regaling the
crowd with the story of how she was abducted in Edo State in 2008.
“It was her story
that made me to pause to take her picture. As I left the woman and the crowd, I
heard some people express their concern about how the woman would cope knowing
no one in Ibadan as she continued her slow walk into the dark night.”
So, for the
relations of Cecilia Obhaghene, the search for their matriarch continues
nawah, wonder shall never end.
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