Police detectives in Ondo State have launched an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a secondary school Vice Principal, Olaloye Olatunde, after attending a seminar in Akure, the state capital.
Only his personal belongings were recovered inside the hotel room where he lodged for the seminar, after his mysterious disappearance.
Olaoye is the Vice Principal of Ipele Community High School, Owo, area of the state.
He reportedly travelled from Owo to Akure last Sunday to attend a Child Labour Programme organised by Trace Project Akure in partnership with Charakids Foundation.
The victim’s wife, Mrs. Adenike Olaloye, said he called her after checking into a hotel, in Alagbaka, where all other participants lodged.
According to her “We spoke regularly until Wednesday. By Friday, his phone was no longer reachable. The seminar was supposed to end that day, but I never heard from him again.
“I was the one who arranged his bag before he travelled. That same bag was what they later found in his hotel room. Sadly, they had already packed it out without telling me.”
Also, speaking of the incident, Olaoyes elder brother, Zacheus Olaloye, said: “When my brother’s wife called me that she hadn’t seen my brother, I went to the hotel.
“The staff initially told me that all participants had checked out. But later I discovered the bag they said was abandoned was my brother’s own, with his clothes and shoes still inside.”
Zacheus, a retired civil servant, lamented that “We tried to preview the footage, but nothing worked. Later, the management showed us a grainy video of a man walking out of the premises. But that wasn’t my brother. The figure wasn’t clear at all.”
He added that neither the organisers of the seminar nor the hotel have reached out to the family formally after Olatunde disappeared.
“The matter was reported to the police by the family at the Zone 17 AIG office, before we were directed to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad.”
Speaking on the matter, the manager of the hotel, Mr. Kenneth Ekpeyong, and a staff, Mrs. Oluwaseyi Adebayo, said that all participants were well accounted for until Friday evening.
Ekpeyong said: “On August 24, 49 participants arrived, later increasing to 58. On Friday, we organised an Asun Night for them, as part of our hospitality package.
“Some left that night, while others checked out on Saturday,” Adebayo explained.
On her part, Mrs. Adebayo said: “One facilitator instructed the hotel to clear the belongings in Room 305, claiming the occupant had travelled to sign teachers’ salary vouchers.
“We used our master card to open the room, packed the bag, and documented it. Later we were told it was the vice principal’s bag.
“From our CCTV, we saw him on Wednesday, and then again on Thursday morning, when he walked out of the hotel and never returned. That is why the room was eventually opened.”
Contacted, the state police command spokesperson Ayanlade Olayinka, said: “The command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the man’s sudden disappearance.
“We call on members of the public to provide any useful information that can assist us in unraveling the case.”
