*Family petitions Lagos CP

By Ikenna Asomba

AJEGUNLE – Since Thursday, December 11, when Mr. Surajudeen Olugbade, an indigene of Kobiti, Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State, left his home at 4, Ezeagu Street, Ojo Road, Ajegunle, Lagos, to attend the afternoon prayers at a nearby Mosque in his community, that was the last his family set eyes on him till date.

Olugbade, aged 68, a retired civil servant of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Lagos, was said to have left home that fateful day at about 1.00pm in a brown Jalamia clothe for prayers at a mosque on Mosolashi bus-stop, along Okoya Road, Ojo Road, Ajegunle.
According to his son, Sulaimon Olugbade, who works with the Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Council, the family started smelling rat when their father who was supposed to have returned from mosque at least by 1.30pm that fateful day was no where seen around home after the prayer sessions.

He disclosed that the father who though has hearing impairment, is dark in complexion, speaks Yoruba and English fluently, and had a n Identity Card on him before he got missing.

How it happened
Narrating how the unfortunate incident happened, he said: “My father usually goes for prayers five times everyday in the mosque at Mosolashi bus-stop, Okoya. So, that very day, my mum and one of my cousins were at home before he left. He told them to lock the door if they were leaving home, because he was with his own spare key.

“But my mother smelled something was wrong, when she waited for him even by 2.00pm and he was not yet back. She thought that perhaps, he must have taken a walk as he usually does.

“But when it was time for the next prayer by 4.00pm, some worshipers in the mosque, after the prayer session, came to enquire why he didn’t come for the prayers. That was when my mum raised the alarm that he has not come back home after he went for the 1.00pm prayers in the mosque.”

Police report
Continuing, young Olugbade said they waited endlessly for their father to return that day, but to no avail, adding that efforts at searching for him within and around the neighbourhood was also futile.

He said it was the next day, Friday, December 12, that they reported the matter to the Layeni Police Post, Ajegunle, but expressed fear that the police post was not doing a good job.

Olugbade, however, called the Lagos State Police Commissioner, Mr. Kayode Aderanti to come to their aid.
According to him, “Our fear about those handling the case at the Layeni Police Post came alive when one police woman there demanded N4,000 from us, claiming that she would help us report the matter to Radio Lagos, Alausa.

“Since that day, we have always been tuned to the station but didn’t hear any announcement like that. We waited till Thursday, December 18, always tuned to the station but didn’t hear any announcement of such.

“So, I and two of my brothers went to the radio station ourselves, and we were told, nobody came to lodge such complaint. Despite the N1, 000, they also collected from us to write police report, we have not heard any tangible results.”

Lamenting, the civil servant cried “Please, please, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police should come to our aid, because we are still young to lose our father.”