Ibrahim Olawale, elder brother of a missing lady, Noimot, shares with GRACE EDEMA how the family tracked her location and uncovered the phone number of a fleeing suspected ritual killer from the hotel manager’s call logs, where she was last seen

How are you related to the missing person?

I’m a brother to Olawale Noimot. She is my parents’ third born. She is 30 years old. I work as a technician at the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company.

Is she married?

What happened on the day she went missing?

On Saturday, 19th of July, around past 2 pm, I received a call from one of her neighbours. They had been trying to reach her on the phone, but someone else picked up and said she had an accident and was taken to a hospital in Ikeja, LASUTH.

On their way to the place, they kept calling her number. It rang, but at the gate of the hospital, it went off. They still went in and spoke with hospital staff. They checked all the emergency centres, wards, and even the mortuary, but she wasn’t there.

What did you do next?

We were told to go back to the general hospital to check again. On the way back, my sister and I decided to go and meet some of her neighbours and friends at their place in Maya, Ikorodu, where she had been staying.

They narrated the story to us. They said on Friday, the 18th of July, she left home with her friend for work. When they got to work, around 8:30 am, my sister said she was stepping out and would be back shortly. She told her friend she was going to Ejigbo to see someone and would return.

Did she return?

No. After a while, her friend called to ask where she was, and my sister repeated that she would soon return, but she never did. Her friend ended up sleeping in the hotel where they worked.

What happened the next morning?

Her friend left the hotel around 7:30 am. Later in the day, around 12 or 1 pm, one of my sister’s neighbours came to their compound and asked about her. She found my sister’s son alone at home.

How old is the son?

He’s nine years old.

So, the boy slept alone without his mother?

Yes, alone. That was the neighbour who called my sister’s number, and someone picked up, saying she had an accident and had been taken to the hospital. That was how they alerted others, and a few neighbours went to check.

Did her friend at work explain further what happened?

Yes, she confirmed again that after arriving at work, my sister said she was stepping out briefly. I asked her where they worked and which department. She said my sister worked in the bar section of a hotel.

Did you ask for the contact of their boss?

Yes, I asked for the number of their manager, Mr Wale Onibudo. She gave me the number. She also said the hotel had no name and was located at Ladega.

What happened when you visited the hotel?

My sister, her friend, her neighbour, and I went together. On the way there, her friend pulled me aside to say, ‘They were doing hookup in the hotel.’

When we got to the hotel, I asked to see the manager. The manager’s name is Mr Rafiu. I also met the owner, Mr Wale Onibudo. I asked the manager what he knew. He said on Friday, both my sister and her friend left the hotel that night and never returned.

But her friend earlier said she slept at the hotel. Don’t you think there is a contradiction there?

Yes, that was the contradiction. Her friend claimed she slept over at the hotel that night, but the manager said both of them left around 9 pm and didn’t return. The owner of the hotel also said he saw both of them before he left around 8 pm. So, I wasn’t satisfied because their explanations were conflicting and complicated.

What was your next action?

We left the hotel and went to where my sister had been living. I collected her house key from a neighbour, and we went inside with her son. The next day, Sunday, the 20th of July, we went to the Sagamu Police Division to file a complaint and gave my statement.

What happened thereafter?

Somebody assisted us to track the number of the person we were searching for, because the MTN line was going on and off. The Airtel line had been switched off completely. But the MTN line was still fluctuating—sometimes it was on, sometimes off.

Who helped you with the tracking?

Someone assisted us with that. The person eventually gave us information that the phone operator was going to call. That was the last trace—just before the phone was switched off.

Is the place close to where she lived, around the hotel?

Yes, it’s about 500 meters away—from the hotel to another hotel nearby.

You mentioned there was another issue?

Yes, there was something else we didn’t like. There was an alleged ritualist known to frequent the area; there was a viral video we saw about an Alfa who butchered someone in his house. It raised concerns that he could be involved, though we’re not yet certain.

What did you do about that?

So, my sister and I went to that area to investigate. We made some inquiries and spoke with some members of the community to gather more information. They confirmed that it was true an Alfa lives in that house but is now at large, and the matter has now been transferred to the police station.

How did you get the Alfa’s phone number?

Unfortunately, the number we received—the one belonging to Alfa—showed up on the manager’s phone.

How did that happen?

The case was already transferred to Panti. They had Alfa’s phone and the address. They claimed Alfa had forgotten his phone, and he’d been asking them to bring it to him. Well, Alfa isn’t at Panti. He’s at large.

But the two people arrested—one was his neighbour, the other was his in-law. The neighbour said he heard someone screaming around 2 am, shouting, ‘Don’t kill me, let me be!’ until the voice faded—possibly when the person died.

Why didn’t the neighbour intervene?

He said he and Alfa had issues and weren’t on good terms. Alfa usually had multiple women around—about four or five. So, the neighbour assumed he was just fighting with one of them and didn’t check. He also said that the last time he went outside during a fight some time ago, they had threatened to beat him up. He said he didn’t have airtime on his phone to call anyone that night.

The second person arrested lived with Alfa. But on the night in question, he left to go change his clothes, which raised questions; if you live with someone, why would you need to leave to get new clothes? Eventually, he changed his statement. He claimed Alfa gave him something on Friday evening and told him to return the next day with feedback. He gave multiple, inconsistent stories.