A tricycle rider that was hired to take four underage children to school is suspected of having disappeared with the children.
The children, ages two to seven years old, are siblings.
Their father, Chimaobi Agah, made this known in his plea with the Abia State Government and the state police command to help in rescuing the children.
Agah, 43 years from Amasiri in Ebonyi State, who lives in Umuagua Ibeku in Umuahia North LGA, Abia State, said his wife and mother of the four children had contracted the services of a commercial tricycle operator to take the children to their school, Great Ambassadors College, Nkwoegwu, Umuahia North.
The incident happened on Monday, November 27 and since then, the children have not returned home; even as the school authorities said that the children didn’t show up in school on the said day.
The four children are: Chinweotiti Chimaobi (seven, female), Nmesomachi Chimaobi (seven, female), Testimony Chimaobi (four, male) and Godswill Chimaobi (two, male).
The distraught father said, “She [the children’s mother] paid a Keke (tricycle) rider to take them to school. In the afternoon, when school was supposed to have ended, they did not return home, and my wife went to their school to look for them.
“She was told by the school authorities that they did not come to school at all. My wife called me and I returned to Umuahia from Enugu on Tuesday morning. I went to the school and was told the same story.
“So, I went to the police and reported it. They gave me four policemen and we searched for them but without success. They asked me to come back the next day and make a statement.
“After that, they told me to go to a radio station and make an announcement. I have done all these and till now, I have not seen them.
“The public should please help me. God should please forgive my sins. I know I’m a sinner but I believe Jesus died for sinners like me. Please, I need my four children rescued.
“I am feeling bored. Losing four children is not easy. Let the Abia State Government and the police help us.”
The Abia State Police Command Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Maureen Chinaka, in a statement on Sunday said, “On 28/11/2023, at about 1530 hrs, Mr. Chimaobi Agha and his wife, Mrs Chimaobi Oluchi, residents of Umuagu (Ibeku, Umuahia North LGA), visited Ohuhu Police Divisional headquarters to report an incident.
“According to their account, on Monday, 27/11/2023, at 0730 hrs, Mrs Chimaobi Oluchi escorted their four children identified as follows: Chinweotiti Chimaobi (7 yrs old, female), Nmesomachi Chimaobi (7 yrs old, female), Testimony Chimaobi (4 yrs old, male) and Godswill Chimaobi (2 yrs old, male).
“The children’s mother escorted them to the junction of her street to board an unknown tricycle destined for Great Ambassadors College, Ukaiuga Nkwoegwu, Ohuhu, in Umuahia North LGA.
“No one escorted or went with them, considering that the eldest is 7 years old and the tricyclist is unknown. Unfortunately, at the end of the school day, the children did not return home as anticipated.
“The police initiated an investigation into the whereabouts of the missing children. Further investigation has shown that the children were not present in school on the specified date, and the investigation to trace the missing children is ongoing.
“We urge anyone with information that could aid in locating them to promptly report to the nearest police station.”
