Customer Abducts POS Operator’s Seven–Year–Old Daughter

Family of Missing Seven-Year-Old Raises Alarm in Sango Ota

Lagos, Nigeria – The family of a seven-year-old girl, Mercy Akande, has expressed deep concern over her disappearance in the Sango Ota area of Ogun State.

The Bureau Newspaper gathered on Thursday that the incident occurred on Monday near the spot where the girl’s mother operates a Point of Sale (POS) terminal in the community.

According to sources, a yet-to-be-identified man, described as a regular customer at the POS terminal, visited the shop, bought food for Mercy, and later sent her on an errand to buy a sachet of water.

A Mother’s Distracted Moment

Mercy’s nephew, Jude, speaking to journalists, explained that the man approached the girl on her return from the errand, seemingly to collect the sachet of water.

“The man had been visiting her store regularly to withdraw money and buy recharge cards. He had become friendly with the girl and would often buy her food and give her money. He doesn’t stay in the area. On Monday morning, which was December 23, the man visited the stall again and bought food for himself and the girl,” Jude said.

While the mother was busy attending to other customers, she briefly saw the man and her daughter interacting but became distracted. Moments later, both the man and Mercy were nowhere to be found.

“By the time she turned towards the daughter’s direction to check what was happening, the man and her daughter were gone,” Jude added.

Immediate Search and Police Involvement

The distraught mother immediately began searching for Mercy, but her efforts were in vain. Attempts to reach the man via phone proved futile as his line became unreachable.

Mercy’s cousin, who identified himself on X (formerly Twitter) as Miyakee, disclosed that the incident was reported to the nearest police station in Sango Ota. However, the process has been fraught with financial demands.

“The struggling mom was asked to pay a total of N10,000 to report the case and N30,000 to track the man’s phone number,” Miyakee wrote.

He further detailed the costs incurred so far:

“She has already paid N8,000 to write her statement at the station and an additional N2,000 to print out pictures of the missing girl. To track the phone number, she has been told to pay N30,000 and secure a court affidavit to present at the MTN office.”

Community Calls for Justice

The case has sparked outrage on social media, with many calling for urgent intervention by authorities to locate the missing girl and apprehend the suspect. As the search continues, the family and the community remain hopeful for Mercy’s safe return.

Authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the matter as efforts to trace the suspect intensify

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Source: The Bureau Newspaper

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