Furore over disappearance of 19-yr-old after outing with friend

•Suspect detained at SCID
•No clue yet on his whereabouts —Police

The mysterious disappearance of a 19-year-old after an outing with a friend a few weeks ago is causing his family sleepless nights, reports KUNLE AKINRINADE.

Where is Ayomide Adegoye? That is the mystery the police in Lagos are trying to unravel following the disappearance of the 19-year-old school leaver after he left home with one Toyosi Kolawole to see the latter’s friend named Peter in Joju part of Ota, Ogun State since January 6.

Ayomide’s 48-year-old father and fashion designer, Tunde Adegoye, has become a shadow of his bubbly self in their neighborhood in Ojokoro, a Lagos suburb, his son’s mysterious disappearance. His voice was shaky and his countenance sullen as he spoke with our correspondent on Ayomide’s whereabouts.

Kolawole, the 23-year-old friend Ayomide was said to have gone out with, was said to be a student in one of the polytechnics in Ogun State.

The senior Adegoye, a native of Ikare-Akoko, Ondo State, is pained that his son has not been found more than one month after he left home.

According to him, Ayomide left his residence at No 3, Awoyomi Crescent in Ahmadiyya area of Ojokoro with his friend, Toyosi, for Ota, Ogun State on January 6. But while Toyosi returned home later in the day, his son was nowhere to be found.

Ayomide’s father said: ”Toyosi’s parents and I are neighbours. My house is at No 3, Awoyomi Crescent while Toyosi lives with his parents at No 2 of the same address.

”Toyosi and my son are friends and they usually mingle together even with my other children.

“However, on January 6 this year, Toyosi asked my son to accompany him to the place of one of his friends named Peter in Joju part of Ota, Ogun State. I even met them at Ahmadiyya in front of a PoS operator while I was returning from one of my customers at Ipaja.

“My son told me that Toyosi wanted to cash some money before they would continue with their trip. Since that day, I have not set my eyes on my son.

”Initially, when I didn’t see my son, I called his mobile phone and that of Toyosi but their phones were switched off. It was not until the evening of January 7 that I was able to reach Toyosi who claimed that my son detoured while they were returning home at the Toll Gate end of Ota.

“He said my son received a call on his phone and left for an unknown destination while he returned home.

”I cannot sleep at night because the thought of my son’s mysterious disappearance haunts me. His siblings are also greatly troubled over his whereabouts. Please, help me beg the police to unravel the mystery behind my son’s whereabouts.”

It was learnt that the matter was reported at the Ojokoro Police Division, following which Toyosi and Peter their host were arrested.

They have since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) where Toyosi is being detained for further investigation.

In a telephone conversation with our correspondent, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the suspect was still in the custody of SCID, Panti.

Adejobi, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), said there has not been any clue yet on the whereabouts of the missing boy.

Adejobi said: ”The boy who took his friend out, leading to the latter’s controversial disappearance, is still in the custody of SCID at Panti, Yaba, as we speak.

”We haven’t got a clue yet as to the whereabouts of the missing boy, but we are intensifying our investigations on the matter.”

While assuring that the police would not relent in its effort to unravel Ayomide’s whereabouts, Adejobi urged anyone with genuine information on the location of the boy to feel free to release such to the police.

‘’I want to urge members of the public, especially family members and friends of the missing boy, who might have information that could aid the police in finding the boy, to please feel free to share such information with the police either by coming to the state police command or approach the SCID. (The Nation)