Police, frustrating rescue of my 16-year- old abducted daughter- Osuji

By Emma Ujah,

 

Abuja Bureau Chief Mr. Alex Osuji is a man of sorrow. He is grieving over the mysterious disappearance of his only daughter, Precious Osuji, whom he said was abducted on November 13, 2015. The precious gift of God to the Osujis remains missing in spite of the fact that the case was promptly reported at the Lugbe Police Divisional Headquarters.
The father of the abducted 16-year old told Vanguard that efforts to trace his daughter and rescue her had been frustrated by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of investigations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, Mr. Agyole Abe. How it happened Mr. Alex Osuji's daughter Mr. Alex Osuji’s daughter On 13th November, 2015, I left my daughter at home while she was eating. I went to the bank to withdraw some money for her since she had exams the next day. I left home at about 2:14pm.

The younger sister, Chioma returned from school at 2:30pm and she did not meet Precious at home. The person she saw was Cornelius Ubara, a tenant in the same compound. When I returned home in the evening, the same Cornelius Ubara met me, telling me that Chioma came home; so in my mind I began to wonder because he had no business telling me that Chioma came home and I never asked him to give me any information whether Chioma was around or not. I then asked him if Chioma saw Precious when she arrived, but he said no. So, I and my wife started calling Precious’ phone line but it was switched off. Strange text messages We became worried because we never had that experience before as our daughter would never leave the house without permission from us. So it was a strange thing that her handset was switched off till around 8:30pm in the evening when we then saw strange text messages from the phone number which prompted us to report at the police station. When we got to the police station, we showed them the text messages:

The messages were: “Bye”; “We shall see someday, don’t worry urself, I will be fine” ; “Sorry I thought , I sent to Favour pls mummy I am very sorry but I have to do this. I no how much u love me” ; I am sorry daddy. I will miss you and mummy, I cannot face this shame am pregnant for my friend. I am sorry, I have to travel out to avoid embarrassment thank u” In addition, to the above, another message to her friend was “My good friend I no I just have to tell you this at the wrong time. Pls keep it to yourself the guy that is taking me for lesson impregnated me, he has given me money to go and stay with his aunt somewhere”. With the above messages, the police invited the lesson teacher who denied any relationship with Precious but was detained.

Two bottles of soft drink Mr. Osuji said that a neighbour gave them a clue as according to him, after he left home the previous day, Precious was said to have gone to the neighbour to buy a bottle of 7up for the tenant (Mr. Cornelius Ubara). He said, “It was a neighbour, Hajia, who saw my wife in tears and she asked what was the matter and my wife told her that Precious had not been seen since yesterday (Friday 13th November). It was then she said but your daughter came to my shop to buy a bottle of mountain dew first and she came the second time and asked for the same mountain dew but we told her that it had finished and when we wondered if she was the one taking the second one again, she said she was buying it for their tenant.

 It was then we got the wind that Precious bought drink for the tenant. That Saturday, we did not see the tenant in the house, and very early in the morning on Sunday, he left the premises.We thought he was going to the service and that he was coming back but we never saw him again until Monday morning, the 16th of November. I went to the police station, to report. He was invited to the police but that same Monday in the evening he was released on bail. The officers at Lugbe police station said they were under pressure to transfer the case to FCT Command Headquarters. On getting to command headquarters, the next day Friday, they released him on bail and I began to imagine why this man would be released on bail suddenly whereas the first person who was arrested has been in the cell up to this time. Police refusal to issue extract After three weeks, we went to Lugbe Police Station to obtain the extract but they said that the case file had been taken to the Command Headquarters and that I should go to the Command. I got to the police command asking for police extract so that we can come to media houses and let the public know about the incident but the Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Agyole Abe, bluntly refused to issue me police extracts saying that it was too early.

Six months later, I went to him again but he bluntly told me that they were not going to issue me any extract. He said they were still investigating the case and that whatever I wanted to do I should do. I told him that I needed an extract because I wanted to go to media houses and that the extract would not stop him from carrying out his investigation; this is six months from the time the matter came to the police. Case transferred to Command because of pressure I didn’t ask for the matter to be transferred. The DCO felt that there was pressure on him, he then asked the IPO, Mr. John, to transfer the case to the command and ever since the matter was transferred to the command, the DCP took over the matter and nothing has happened so far. The DCP has not been fair to me each time I went to his office he would order me out. Tenant packed out after a week Mr. Ubara packed out a week after the abduction of my daughter. The day he was packing, I informed the IPO Insp. Mary Okoi, who was assigned the case at the Command but she said I should leave him to pack out.

She took nothing, even her purse Our daughter did not take anything from the house, the money she saved in the house is still there, her handkerchief, pants, towels, hand bag, everything she has are the house. She didn’t take anything, even her purse. Osuji’s prayers I want the public to be aware so that they can help locate the whereabouts of my daughter. I don’t know who is hiding her, who is keeping her. She is the only biological daughter I have and she is very interested in her education.

For six months now, she has been separated from us and we have had sleepless nights, we are troubled, we are worried. I am asking that the government should please assist by making the police to do their job and rescue my daughter from wherever she is being held. FCT Police reacts Contacted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Anjuguri Manzah, disclosed that the police did nothing to deserve the allegation that they were frustrating investigations into the missing girl. According to him,

“On January 11, 2016 I issued a public notice on the missing girl which was addressed to all media houses in Abuja, with a view to giving it the widest possible publicity. I personally signed that notice.” Asked if it was wrong for Mr. Osuji to have requested for the extract on the case, the PPPRO said, he wouldn’t say so but that even if the extract which the father of the girl wanted was to enable him take further steps in terms of publicity, the notice he issued could have been a sufficient document for media houses to assist him. He said that the complainant met him several times but did not ask to be given a copy of the notice which he issued and that he would have obliged him. ASP Manzah said that the police are taking the case seriously and that investigations are still on-going.

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