Each passing day comes with a heavy heart for Adesola Ogunleye and her children since the family’s breadwinner, Rasaq Ogunleye, went missing about two months ago.
City Round learnt that Rasaq, who is into printing, left his house on Ayantuga Street, Mushin, Lagos State for Ikeja airport on July 28, 2020 to clear some items.
He was said to have reached the airport and told that the products had yet to arrive. The 43-year-old father of five, however, did not return home and could not be reached on his mobile since then.
Our correspondent gathered that the case was reported at the Olosan Police Station the following day but there were no clues on his whereabouts.
Adesola explained that she spoke to her husband on the telephone around 8pm that day and he told her that his phone battery was about to die.
She lamented that all official means to track Rasaq’s location had proved abortive, adding that the family had resorted to prayers.
She said, “He was with one of his cousins when I left home around 4pm that day. They were chatting outside our compound. I went to make my hair and do some other things because the next day was my birthday. He called me around 8pm and told me his phone was about to go off so that I would not be worried when I could not reach him.”
“When I got home around 10pm, he was not around. My children said he had not returned. I called him but his line wasn’t connecting. I assumed he had a flat battery and waited for him at the balcony.”
After waiting for an hour, Adesola said a neighbour joined her to search for him at a shop at a nearby street where he normally relaxed but they didn’t find him there.
She said, “It was around 11.30pm and the shop had closed. There was curfew then which started at 10pm. When we called the mobile written on the shop, the person said he last saw him around 6pm.’’
The woman said she called his cousin with whom he was with when she left home that day, but he told her that her husband told him he was going to the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company office at Ikeja airport to clear some items.
She added, “When we got there, they confirmed to us that he came but left as the goods had not arrived. We reported him missing at the Olosan Police Station. They collected his photograph and details. Police invited the man who owned the items and he told them he had no issues with my husband. The man had eventually cleared his goods at the airport.”
The distraught woman explained further that the police at the division invited a civilian, one Bolaji, who collected N30, 000 to help track Rasaq’s phone had got no result whatsoever.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed Rasaq’s missing and promised that the police would intensify efforts to search for him.
He said, “We don’t know the man’s whereabouts up till now. The DPO (Divisional Police Officer) has been instructed to intensify efforts to see if we can get information on his whereabouts.”
@ Punch Newspaper
