Osogbo community in shock as school teacher goes missing

This, perhaps, is the most trying time for the family of Moses Adebayo, a class teacher at the Baptist High School, Osogbo, Osun State. Adebayo, a native of Gbongan in Ayedaade Local Government Council Area of the state has been declared missing since Tuesday, July 16, 2019 following his sudden disappearance. There has not been any clue to his whereabouts as his telephone numbers are unreachable and searches conducted by various groups left no trace.

According to Mrs Olabisi, his wife, Adebayo left their Capital Hotel area residence, Dada Estate, Osogbo for work at 6:45am on the fateful day. She said that although her husband used to leave for work at 7:00am, he decided to go out earlier that day because he planned to drop by at his medicine store to pick an item for one of his colleagues at school.

Mrs Olabisi, a sewing mistress, said: “I can’t really understand the whole thing; my husband has been missing for some days now and I am worried that he must have been kidnapped. We reported to the police and we have searched everywhere for him without having a clue.

“He usually leaves home by 7:00 am every day. But on Tuesday, he left home around 6:45am because he wanted to drop by at his shop before heading to work. He has a medicine store and he told me that he would like to take an item from his shop to give one of his colleagues at the school where he works. That is the last that I have seen or heard of him. It is surprising because he did not have to travel to get to his place of work; from home to his school should take about 12 minutes when you drive or take a commercial motorcycle popularly called okada.

“My husband is very predictable. He neither drinks, nor womanises. He does not have any suspicious business partner; he is a complete gentleman. His movement is usually from home to school, then to his shop, to church and back home. He doesn’t stay late outside.”

Asked if he had ever travelled without notifying his family in the past, she said: “Such a thing had never happened. My husband is very responsible and you can predict him. It is so confusing and I do not suspect anybody. I cannot imagine what could be responsible for his abduction. At the family level, we didn’t have anything bothering our minds; he doesn’t join issues with people. He didn’t have any complaint. He even ate before leaving home in the morning and everything was fine in the home until later in the day when I started getting worried that he had not returned home from work.”

She said that she had made several calls to her husband’s numbers since Tuesday to no avail. Efforts made by his family members, friends and church members to unravel the mystery behind the man’s plight have not yielded any known positive result.

Mr Agbaje, his landlord, said that it is extremely shocking and difficult to unearth those who are responsible for Adebayo’s abduction. He said that his family members, as well as neighbours, had been living in anxiety ever since the news of the missing school teacher broke noting that “this is the first time we are hearing story of a missing person in the neighbourhood. His whereabouts is still a puzzle to us indeed.

“Adebayo, who is in his mid 40s, is known by all of us in the community as a peace-loving and easy-going man. He is working as a teacher under the Federal Government’s N-power scheme. He had no known problem, business deal or face-off with anybody. He is about 5 feet tall”.

Mr Agbaje, who said that some men in the community had checked mortuaries and hospitals in their quest for him, hinted that he was last seen around 7:00am opening his shop. He stated: “We learnt that he came to his shop at the back of Capital Hotel, Gbogan Road on board a commercial motorcycle and was taken away after locking the shop by the same motorcyclist that brought him.

“On Wednesday morning, I sent my wife to Mrs Adebayo to inquire if he is involved in a business deal or any land dispute with anybody but his wife said that there was nothing like that. He is not a rich man; he is not a big businessman and he never engages in frivolities. He didn’t inform his wife that he was travelling and he had no record of arbitrary behavior with his wife,” he said.

Mr Agbaje has since taken to the Facebook by broadcasting Adebayo’s sudden disappearance on his wall with an appeal that whoever had any useful information about him should contact his wife or report the issue to the police.

While Marvelous, aged 4, Adebayo’s eldest child and her sister keep asking about when their father would be back home, Facebook audience continued to pray for his safe return home. Aremu Abiola said: “May he be found in peace,” while Akinwale Opeyemi said: “God will arise for him.” Wondering what his abductors could gain from their exploit, Soji Onile said: “Class teacher missing?” while Murtala Agboola said: “Hope the Lord will take absolute control so that he would be rescued very fast”.

The Public Relations Officer, Osun State Police Command, Mrs Folasade Odoro, said that she needed more time to confirm the story when contacted.

In a related development, one Farouk Tijani, 18-year-old native of Gbongan who resides at Ogbangba community, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, also reportedly got missing on Sunday. Farouk, who is 5 feet tall, is said to have medical challenge.

Saturday Tribune gathered that the young man got missing during an outing with his family at Apata area of Ibadan. Mr Dauda Tijani, his father, said: “Farouk is medically challenged so he is always with his mother. On the fateful day, he went for Walimat: a Quranic school graduation ceremony held at Aba- Alamu area of Apata.

“Her mother went for the programme with Farouk and his siblings. She said that she suddenly discovered that the boy was nowhere to be found and reported the matter at the Apata Police Station. We also raised a search party but we have not found him since.”

The PPRO, Oyo State Police Command, Mr Olugbenga Fadeyi (SP), who confirmed the story said: “From the statement that we obtained, we discovered that the missing boy was taken for a night programme. This is not ideal because we learnt that the boy is medically challenged. Why would a parent take her child who suffers that type of fate for an event at such time of the day? We advise members of the public to be more cautious.”