Lost In Transit: Dubai-Based Nigerian Family Disappears On Way To Asaba

A Dubai-based Nigerian family has been declared missing after they embarked on a journey from Lagos to Asaba, Delta State. The family of four has been missing for seven days now.

•The missing Onyeocha family: Only the man (behind) did not travel with the family.

The Onyeocha family, including Edna, 35, and her three kids, Loveth, 11, Precious, 8, Golden, 6 and Edna’s cousin, Chinyere, left Lagos last Wednesday in a chartered Toyota Camry saloon car with registration number LAGOS KU 108 EKY. Ugochukwu Onyeocha, Edna’s husband and father of the missing kids, told P.M. NEWS that he and his family came into the country on Monday, 24 January for a holiday from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, their base. The last time the family came to Nigeria was five years ago.
But last Wednesday morning, he hired a cab that came to pick them up at Jakande Estate, Isolo, where they all stayed with his wife’s sister, before their ill-fated journey to the Delta State capital.
According to Ugochukwu, an accountant, his wife, Edna, a staff of Standard Chartered Bank, Dubai, and the children left for the trip around 10a.m. in a car driven by a man called Godfrey Emmanuel Inalegwu, who works for a car hire outfit.
Ugochukwu said he last spoke with his wife at around 11a.m. of that Wednesday and later around 3p.m. when he tried to check on them. But he could no longer reach her afterwards as her phone was switched off.
Ugochukwu was now disturbed by his inability to reach his family.
“I again called her phone to confirm their safety but her phone was still switched off. I later gave up, thinking probably because they were on the expressway, and there was no network. After some time, I tried again and the phone remained dead.
“My kids don’t use phones so I didn’t bother to call them. At a point, I thought maybe she was tired and wanted to rest. So, later I went to bed.”
But early the next day, Ugochukwu’s mother-in-law, whom the Onyeochas were going to visit in Asaba, was the first to call, asking after them. Ugochukwu was stunned when his wife’s mom told him she was yet to set eyes on his family.
“After my mother-in-law gave me this shocking news, I quickly picked my phone and tried my wife’s line over and over but it remained switched off.
“I then rushed to the Red Cab park in Amuwo Odofin, to look for the driver named Olajide that brought the driver that took my family on the journey, but I didn’t meet him. I asked after him from his colleagues and they said he came around in the morning and left.
“I asked for his number and called him but his number was switched off. So I left and dropped my number with them that he should call me as soon as he comes. He did call me later but had no clues as to their whereabouts.”
The missing family are suspected to have been abducted somewhere near Otu Costain – a border town between Ondo and Edo States – based on the record on the map of the tracking device attached to the car they were travelling in.
“The map showed that the vehicle left Lagos around 10 a.m. and passed Ore. They got to a place called Otu Costain, the car stopped there for six minutes and continued again; after that nothing could be seen again on the map. Whatever happened to my family could have occurred at that point,” Onyeocha told P.M.NEWS.
Meanwhile, the matter is now being investigated by detectives at the Force Criminal Investigations Department, FCID, Panti, in Yaba. Ugochukwu first reported the case at the Festac Police Station before it was transferred to Panti.
The last time the family came to Nigeria was five years ago


—Funsho Arogundade - PM news

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Posted: at 2-02-2011 09:02 PM (13 years ago) | Addicted Hero

MAKE THE DRIVER TALK WHERE HE DROP THE FAMILY

Posted: at 2-02-2011 10:36 PM (13 years ago) | Newbie

so sad 2 hear, what a cute family dy are, dy came at d wrong time :'(

Posted: at 2-02-2011 11:28 PM (13 years ago) | Newbie

ITS A SHAME..................MY WORRY IS THE INCOMPETENCE OF THE NIGERIAN POLICE IN HANDLING SUCH MATTERS..................IT DOESNT INDICATE A SIGN OF KIDNAP BUT SMELLS LIKE ONE.................NO RANSOME HAS BEEN DEMANDED YET.

Posted: at 3-02-2011 12:04 AM (13 years ago) | Upcoming

something is amiss here, the tracking device is supposed to be a GPS module installed in the car.
It takes a very skilled person to deactivate it and the driver of the cab, since he works for the car hire company would not have told the abductors that the car is being tracked. Therefore, the guy that arranged the car and driver, the one that was called the next day, should be arrested cos he should knows better. His whereabouts the day after while his phone was off should be questioned. Lastly, are the car hire company sure the car is being tracked? Cos the tracking device should have led the police to the car atleast then the search for the family would start from there.
Nigerian police sef!

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Posted: at 3-02-2011 12:42 AM (13 years ago) | Upcoming

the man will c his family

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Posted: at 3-02-2011 01:04 AM (13 years ago) | Addicted Hero

In diz country,where pple juz vanish in2 thin air every now n then,only God can help us,cuz even d Police,O.P.C,Bakassi,n other security outfits seem overwhelmed,by diz vampires who feed on pples fortunes.....U can rule out d possibility of an inside job.In Naija anytin,n i mean anytin can happen.....Naija;Good pple,Gr8 Nation!!!

Posted: at 3-02-2011 02:40 AM (13 years ago) | Gistmaniac

Am not surprise. Just praying 4 their safety where ever they are. Good God 'll see them through, Amen.

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Posted: at 3-02-2011 03:08 AM (13 years ago) | Upcoming

@real hope:  look u have to shine your eyes men are capable of anything.  Have you been to Dubai?  I have,and many Nigerian dey there and that place sweet for  single man who dey make money.   Real hope, so you mean if you come Nigeria for the first time in five year with your husband and knowing the nigeria is plagued by kidnappers, riots you no fear if the guy put u for taxi with a stranger  and not to mention three little kids you no go get wahala to travel long distance look my friend you need to wake up.  see also where the guy gives himself away,  how your wife go switch her phone off and she never reach her destination, nor has she called u to say husband I don reach my mama house, come on na wake up.  Also to finish you off,  if you husband enter the country with you and refuse to come greet your parent way allow him to marry you, u no go see something wrong with that.  look the article said the family was staying at the sister's house in lagos before the husband hire taxi to send them go asaba.  see if my wife and three son's dey miss, i no go just drop my number for the driver to call me, i go enter road go find em where ever he is..  thank you and god bless you too.

Posted: at 3-02-2011 04:27 AM (13 years ago) | Newbie

THE DRIVER KNOW SEVERYTHING THAT WENT WRONG WIT THEM.

Posted: at 3-02-2011 05:37 AM (13 years ago) | Upcoming