Abia State heats up as 16 people are declared missing!

Sixteen persons and nine vehicles have been declared missing in Abia between January and May 2012.

Mr Geoffrey Ogbonna, the Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO) in the state said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) on Wednesday in Umuahia.

He said that out of the 16 persons so far declared missing, six persons were found by the police alive while one person was discovered dead.

He said that the ages of the victims were between two years and 28 years.

Ogbonna gave the name of the dead person as Miss Peace Udeala, a trainee nurse and a native of Uratha in Isiala Ngwa local government area of Abia.

According to him, cases of missing persons were rampant in such areas as Umuahia North and South local government and Isiala North and South local government areas of the state.

“The unique thing about these incidents is that most of the victims are house-helps. The information we have is that majority of them run away from home over any little provocation.

“One of the victims just felt like running away to an unknown destination and did not inform the people he was living with.

“The nurse that was found dead was said to have received a call that invited her somewhere to treat a patient,” he said

He said that the social media had not helped matters as those that use them in networking friends were ready victims to the menace.

“This is where it affects the young ones that deploy the social media in connecting with people they do not know,” he said.

Ogbonna appealed to parents and guardians to always ascertain the whereabouts of their wards, while the young ones should always make their destinations known to their parents.

The police spokesman stated that three out of the nine cars declared missing in the state had been recovered by the police.

He said that one of the vehicles, a Siena was stolen in Umuahia but recovered by the Abia Police Command in Owerri, following a tip-off, while another car,Toyota Camry stolen in Umuahia was also recovered by the police at the border between Imo and Abia.

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