75-year-old woman disappears from verification centre

*Mrs Juliana Oyewande Oyeyinka

Where could mama be? Who could have done this to a helpless old woman? These are questions currently begging for an urgent reply, following the sudden disappearance of a 75-year-old woman, Mrs Juliana Oyewande Oyeyinka at the Federal Secretariat, Ikoloba, Ibadan, the Oyo state capital. The septuagenarian, a retired headmistress, left her home at Balogun Amosu off Alakia Isebgbon road in Ibadan, on October 9, 2011, for pensioners verification exercise, without the slightest inkling of the danger ahead. She was escorted to the secretariat by one of her daughters, Mrs Oyewo, owing to her inability to walk properly as she reportedly suffers from arthritis.
Arriving the secretariat at 11am and waiting for her turn, as there were other pensioners on the queue, mama, as she is fondly called, reportedly waited for four hours before she was asked to fill a form,which, unfortunately, was not within her reach. Her daughter, as gathered, opted to go get the form. But on her arrival, she discovered with dismay that her mother’s sitting position was empty, without any sight of her around. Out of curiosity, she asked those around if they knew where she was but everyone shuddered with indifference. Just then, it occurred to Mrs Oyewo that an unknown woman had volunteered to look after mama as she was about going to get the requested document. The distraught daughter of the septuagenarian told Crime Alert that, “ the lady in question assured me she was going to look after my mother when I was leaving” Perhaps, mama had premonition of what was to happen as she had intended following her daughter but the strange woman reportedly assuaged her fears by opting to look after her in her daughter’s absence. Continuing, Mrs Oyewo said, “I was reluctant to leave my mother in her care but she offered to look after her. I never knew her from anywhere. But I noticed she was somehow close to my mother all through. Honestly, I wanted to go with my mother to get the form. If only I knew the woman was into something sinister. When I came back and did not see my mother, I looked round for the strange woman but did not see her either. I thought probably my mum went to ease herself and could have taken her. I went round the premises in search of my mother and the strange woman but did not see either of them. I also went to the gate- man to ask if he saw my mother leaving and he said no “I immediately went to the police to report. Consequently, some policemen came with me and together we searched round for my mum but yet did not see her. I was then asked to go home and wait for twenty-four hours before making an official complain. That I did, hoping my mum would come home but have not seen her since then.” It has been twenty-five days since the dark completioned septuagenarian who retired from active service in 1991disappeared with the mystery woman without any trace. On whether the septuagenarian was kidnapped still remains a puzzle to be unraveled. Crime Alert gathered that the slim and average in height aged woman who was visiting the secretariat for the third time since retirement, was not with her phone, as this might have perhaps helped her purported abductors to reach her devastated children. The family has therefore urged the Oyo state government in particular and Nigerians in general to help them with possible information that could lead to the discovery of their mother. The family who expressed concern over Mrs Juliana’s health passionately begged anyone that has information about their mother’s whereabouts to reach them or contact the nearest police station.
By EVELYN USMAN