The family of a seven-year-old girl, Mercy Akande, has expressed concern over her disappearance in the Sango Ota area of Ogun State.
Drivetvnews Report indicate that the incident occurred on Monday near the spot where Mercy’s mother runs a Point of Sale (POS) terminal.
According to sources, an unidentified man, described as a regular customer at the mother’s shop, had visited the location, purchased food for Mercy, and later sent her to buy a sachet of water. On her way back, the man intercepted her to collect the water.
Speaking about the incident, a relative of the girl, identified as Jude, explained that the mother noticed the interaction between the man and her daughter but was momentarily distracted by other customers.
He said, “The man frequently visited the shop to withdraw money and buy recharge cards. Over time, he became friendly with the girl, often buying her food and giving her money. He doesn’t reside in the area. On Monday, December 23, he came to the shop again, purchased food for both himself and Mercy, and later sent her to buy water.
“Her mother noticed him stopping the girl to collect the water, which made her uncomfortable. However, she was distracted by attending to other customers. By the time she looked again, both the man and her daughter had disappeared.”
Jude added that the mother immediately began searching for her child but was unable to locate her. Attempts to reach the man via his phone were unsuccessful, as he stopped answering calls and eventually became unreachable.
Mercy’s cousin, who goes by Miyakee on X (formerly Twitter), revealed that the family reported the incident to the local police. However, they were asked to pay N10,000 to file the report and an additional N30,000 to track the suspect’s phone number.
He wrote, “The case has been reported to a police station in Sango. The struggling mother paid N10,000 to report the case and was asked to bring N30,000 to track the man’s phone number. She will return tomorrow to make the payment.
“So far, nothing has been done. She also paid N8,000 to file her statement and N2,000 to print photos of the missing child. To track the phone, she still needs N30,000 and a court affidavit, which will then be taken to MTN.”
He also lamented that obtaining the court affidavit had been delayed due to the public holiday.
Efforts to reach the state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, for comments were unsuccessful, as she did not respond to calls or messages at the time of this report.
