The family of seven-year-old Mercy Akande is in distress after the young girl mysteriously disappeared in the Sango Ota area of Ogun State, sparking widespread concern. The incident occurred on Monday, December 23, near her mother’s Point of Sale terminal, where the girl’s disappearance has left both the family and the community reeling.
According to reports, Mercy’s mother, who operates the POS business, was busy attending to customers when a regular customer—described as a male adult—visited the shop. He reportedly bought food for Mercy and later sent her on an errand to buy a sachet of water. However, the ordeal took a disturbing turn when the customer approached her midway, attempting to take the sachet of water from her.
The girl’s mother, who witnessed the encounter, became uneasy but was momentarily distracted by other customers. By the time she looked back, both Mercy and the man had vanished without a trace.
The victim’s nephew, identified as Jude, shared the shocking details of the incident, revealing that the customer, who frequently visited the store, had built a rapport with Mercy, often buying her food and giving her money. The man, however, does not reside in the area, and his phone number is now unreachable.
Jude explained, “The man had been a regular at the store, always buying food and chatting with Mercy. He sent her to buy water, and when she returned, he took her away. By the time her mother turned around, they were gone.”
The frantic search for Mercy began immediately, but there has been no sign of her. Efforts to reach the man have been futile, and the mother’s repeated calls to his phone have gone unanswered.
A cousin of the missing girl, using the handle Miyakee on X (formerly Twitter), revealed the family’s heartbreaking struggle with the police. He explained that they had reported the case to the Sango police station, but faced additional financial barriers, including a N10,000 fee just to file the report and another N30,000 to track the suspect’s phone number.
“The mother was told to pay N30,000 to track the man’s phone number, but she has already paid N10,000 for the case report. The police even charged N8,000 to write the statement, and another N2,000 for pictures of the missing girl. To get the phone number tracked, she needs a court affidavit, but the holiday has made that process impossible,” the cousin lamented.
As the family struggles to secure the necessary funds and paperwork, the police have yet to respond publicly. Despite repeated attempts to contact the Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, there has been no reply to phone calls or messages.
With the clock ticking, Mercy’s family is desperately calling for help. As news of the disappearance spreads, the local community and social media users have expressed their outrage, questioning the delay in police action and the bureaucratic hurdles hindering the search.
The mystery surrounding Mercy Akande’s disappearance continues to haunt the Sango Ota community, leaving her family in turmoil and anxious for any leads that might bring her home.