The parents of three-year-old Nohim Ishola have been thrown into panic after he disappeared on Sunday in Otto community, in the Ebute-Meta area of Lagos State.
Nohim’s disappearance is coming one year after about seven children went missing in the community.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the abductions stopped after a suspected kidnapper was arrested.
But things took another turn on Sunday when Nohim suddenly disappeared in the Ogundimu area.
It was gathered that the victim and his two siblings were on their way to their grandmother’s house when two people started a fight in the area.
The victim’s father, Rafiu Ishola, told our correspondent that efforts to find his son had been abortive.
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He said, “Nohim and his two siblings were going to their grandmother’s house on Sunday when some people suddenly broke a bottle and started a fight around the Ogundimu area. In the commotion that followed, Nohim went missing.
“This is not the first time they will be going to their grandmother’s house; they were just a few metres away from the house when the incident happened. His siblings said when those people broke the bottle, everybody tried to scamper to safety and Nohim released himself from one of his siblings’ grip.
“I don’t know how my child got lost, but I feel they were followed to that area because the fight those people started was unnecessary and immediately they took my boy, everywhere was cleared. When his siblings didn’t see him, they ran to their grandma’s house to tell her.
“Their mother cannot sleep or eat. This has affected her a lot because this is not the first time a child would be missing in the community and would not be found. I just want the police to help us to find him.”
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said seven children had gone missing in the community in the last one year.
“And they always disappear every Friday when people in the community have gone to the central mosque. But after one person was caught, they stopped kidnapping children and we thought that peace had come to reign.
“The boy’s siblings were taking him to their grandma when those people came to their front to break a bottle and started a fight and in the commotion, they took the boy away; his siblings did not even notice that he was gone.
“When we went to the scene, the people there said nobody fought in the community, so it was because they wanted to carry the boy, that was why they started that imaginary fight.
“I believe that there is someone in this community that is giving those kidnappers signals, because whenever they want to do their evil work, people will not be around. But if we can catch one person and the law allows us to kill the person, maybe it will serve as a deterrent to others not to come to the community again.
“I am not the one that gave birth to this child, but I can’t sleep or eat since Sunday. We have been to many places today (Tuesday) to look for the boy. We have entered where we ought not to enter, just to look for this child,” she added.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Adekunle Ajisebutu, did not pick his calls or respond to a text message sent to his telephone as of press time.