A 3-year old toddler, Success Onyeisi, was allegedly kidnapped by a
neighbour and supposed 'family friend', Emmanuel Okpara, from her home on
December 22, 2015, and hasn't been seen since then.
It was learnt that the missing child's father, a commercial
motorcyclist has spent all his savings, about N60,000, on police
investigations and other logistics to no avail.
The suspect even helped the toddler's father, Godwin Onyeisi, to
search for the girl when she was declared missing, until he was accused
by people who saw him with the child about the time she reportedly went
missing.
Based on the accusation, Okpara was arrested and transferred to the
Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, where he allegedly confessed
that he sold the toddler for N20,000 but didn't say who the buyer was or
where he could be located.
On hearing the shocking news, the little girl's father, Godwin Onyeisi said:
"The worst part is that he (Okpara) followed me to all the
places I went to in search of my daughter, with the same clothe he wore
when he kidnapped her.
He followed me on my motorcycle to all the palaces of the
Baales, all the streets and all the police stations we visited, until
people who saw him with her about the time she went missing, told us and
the police that he was the kidnapper.
My older children went to fetch water at the well in a nearby
compound. They went with other children in our yard. So, because we were
planning to travel, my wife left Success who was watching cartoon in
the room and rushed to the market.
She was the one who called me that they have been looking for
Success and have not seen her. Initially I didn’t really take her
seriously because I did not think anyone will want to harm me or my
family.
When I came back and they have not seen her yet, I started
going round the neighbourhood asking questions. As we were going round
to ask people, the Baales were sending messages through town criers that
anyone that saw her should come forward with the information.
For two days, we went round in search of my daughter and my
neighbour was with me all through the period. He was wearing the same
red T-shirt that people saw him with while he took my daughter away. But
he was following me as if he did not know anything about her
disappearance.
From December 23, we started hearing information that he was
seen with my daughter, but I did not believe it because Success is very
close to him. I have been very good to his family; I even connected my
generator to his house to give them light.
Whenever my daughter is given food, she will take it to eat
with him. Once we bath her, she will take her clothe to him to wear for
her. She usually slept in their house, so I did not want to believe that
he was behind her disappearance.
But three women later came to our house, among the three was a
woman he bought bottled water from while he was with my daughter. So,
the woman now said he saw him with my daughter and that after drinking
from the water, he gave my daughter to drink and they left.
I still did not believe what they were saying. I told them to
stop lying against him until my wife got angry and went and reported to
the police that I was also a suspect. That was how I was arrested with
him on December 25 and we slept at the station.
He was still denying it, until the women and all those who saw
him with my daughter came to the police station and identified him. They
even described the clothe he was wearing, which happened to be the same
clothe he wore while he was following me about. That was how the police
detained him.
After some days, he confessed that he was the one who took her
and that he sold her for N20,000 through somebody else to a man who
lives in Okota. He said he cannot remember the man and the middle man
who took the baby to the buyer usually stayed at a woman’s house here in
Coconut.
I have been going from church to church and they keep telling
me that my daughter is alive. Okpara should let me know if he has killed
my daughter. If my baby is still alive, he should say where she is. How
can a man like that kidnap a little girl and since then he doesn’t want
to say where she is? Police need to put pressure on him to say where my
baby is.
I have spent all my savings on the investigation of this
matter. I have been giving the police money so that the case is not
slowed down. Now I don’t even have money to pay for the school fees of
my other children," he said.
The Police have launched a manhunt for the buyer and the prophet he
allegedly gave the child to. The investigation is supposedly still
ongoing.
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