Anguish as lady disappears with two kids in Enugu

Gloom befell the family of Mr. and Mrs. Onyedikachi Anthony, who hails from Ugbawka, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State as two of their children, four-year-old Chisom Anthony and two-year-old Chidindu, went missing for over a week now.

The duo, Chisom and Chidindu, were allegedly taken away from their family house at Akwuke, Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu on October 8 by a lady identified simply as Ifeoma when their mother, Onyedi, went behind their compound to urinate.

It was gathered that before the fateful day, Ifeoma had been a family friend of the Anthonys, affording her the opportunity to be close to the kids.

Narrating her ordeal to newsmen, Onyedi Anthony, who was surrounded by sympathisers, said the lady, Ifeoma, who lived near by, came to her and asked her to prepare her children so that she would take them to her church for prayers, which she declined.

Moments later, she went behind the compound to urinate, only to return and discovered that Ifeoma and her children were nowhere to be found.

Onyedi, who is crestfallen at the incident, laments thus: “That evening, Ifeoma came to my compound and told me to prepare my children so that she would take them to church for prayers.

I said that I will not allow the children to go with her, but when I left her and the children to go and urinate at the back of our house, I returned and met only my eight months old baby but the other two were nowhere to be found.

“I asked neighbours if they saw the lady and my children and they said they saw them and showed me the route they took and I went after them shouting for all to come and help me.

Since that day till today, that was the last time I have seen my two children,” she narrated in her maternal home where she is staying with her aged mother, Victoria.

According to her, they reported the incident to the police and have been going from one church to the other to pray for their return.

Onyedi said she knew Ifeoma through her husband who had known her in Abuja, pointing out that Ifeoma, who hails from Opi in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu, came down to Enugu about a month ago and lived with a boyfriend who disappeared into thin air a day before her children were taken away, claiming that he was going for outside work.

She said that when their house was broken into, it was discovered that they had removed all important property in the house.

She added that when her number 09072279025 was called by her husband, her number was ringing but she was not picking.

When contacted over the incident, Onyedika Anthony, father of the missing girls, said all efforts they have made to trace their children have not yielded any dividends.

Onyedika disclosed that they got Ifeoma’s phone number from the receipt they used to pay house rent when they packed in. He also disclosed that some pastors they consulted assured them that the children are alive wherever they are and might return someday.

Police spokesman, Ebere Amaraizu, however said that he was not aware of the incident because the case had not been reported to the headquarters.