Afeez Hanafi
The whereabouts of a 22-year-old final year student of University of Port Harcourt, Henry Ochioka, has been shrouded in mystery for the six weeks that he left home on his birthday.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the 400-level student of Banking and Finance left his residence in Ogbunabali, River State, where he lived with his parents, at about 7pm on November 25.
It was gathered that Henry, who went away with his laptop, was discovered missing around 8pm when his elder brother, Emmanuel Ochioka, returned from church.
He reportedly left his mobile phone behind but call logs on the phone were said to have been deleted before he disappeared, throwing the family into confusion.
The brother, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone on Wednesday, said the family members were devastated by the incident, adding they had painstakingly searched for him without results.
Emmanuel said, “I returned home from church that evening when I was told Henry had left home. He didn’t tell our parents where he was going. That day was his birthday, and there was no plan for any party to mark it. He went away with a laptop, but left his mobile phone behind. All his call logs have been deleted, which makes us to be suspicious that something has gone amiss. We went to his school hostel; his friends said they did not see him. He is studying Banking and Finance and he is in final year.
“We also looked for him on the school premises and reported to the school authorities. But the school is presently on break. Every member of the family is worried.”
Our correspondent learnt that the case was subsequently reported at the Old GRA Police Station.
Emmanuel described his brother as an easy-going person, saying that he had yet to fathom the circumstances that could have led to his disappearance.
“He didn’t have misunderstanding with anybody at home. He is very peaceful, loving, shy and has a good heart. So, I don’t think he has any disagreement with his friends.
“We reported to the police at the station and they promised to assist in searching for him. We appeal to Nigerians to avail us of useful information on his whereabouts,” he added.
When contacted, the River State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Omoni Nnamdi, promised to contact the divisional police officer of the station and get back to our correspondent with comments on the incident. He had, however, yet to do so as of press time.
The University of Port Harcourt’s spokesperson, Dr William Wodi, said he would check the school record and verify whether the case was reported.
“I have left the office. I will get back to you on Thursday (today),” he said.
Source: PUNCH
