By Sam Tyav, Makurdi
For about two weeks now, gloom has enveloped a Makurdi, Benue State-based woman, Mrs. Blessing Iornem, following the sudden disappearance of her four-year-old daughter in circumstances related to running an errand for a neighbour.
It is now feared that the child, named as Mary Nguemo, may have been kidnapped, a development that has heightened tension and scare from insecurity in the Middle Belt state.
The sorrowful tale of the heart-rending incident, which happened on 26 July, 2026, started at their Awe Street, Makurdi, residence.
Speaking to People&Politics, a still traumatized Mrs. Iornem said the stage for the incident was set when a neighbour allegedly lured the child and sent her on an errand to a shop in the axis.
Mrs. Iornem explained that her child was sent by a neighbour, identified as Ezinne Innocent, to find out at the shop if the shop owner was around.
Mrs. Iormem further disclosed that her nanny, named Gift, opposed the errand and proceeded to hurriedly recall the little girl who had already dashed off towards the shop.
According to Mrs. Iornem, watching the development and feeling rather uncomfortable with it, she (Iornem) quickly intervened and instructed the nanny to rather accompany the girl to the shop.
Explaining further, Mrs. Iornem said that when Gift and Nguemo got to the road, they met a woman they were familiar with who was riding as a passenger on a motorcycle.
But, as the motorcycle had suffered a fault, the woman reportedly pleaded with the nanny and the girl to help push the motorcycle to enable it to start.
Iornem said Gift initially rejected the request, but eventually caved in as the woman was a familiar face.
However, a twist occurred, Iornem said, when, as the motorcycle roared back to life, the woman and the motorcycle operator offered to give both nanny and the girl a lift to the shop, promising to bring them back.
Mrs. Iornem disclosed further that when all four reached opposite a popular fuel outlet, Shafa Filling Station, located at Wurukum, the motorcycle rider stopped, and claimed that the petrol in the motorcycle tank had got exhausted and needed some top-up to enable them continue the journey.
He reportedly then pleaded that the nanny should go buy some quantity of petrol at the filling station located just across the road, handing her a plastic bottle and the sum of N500 in the process.
Apparently sensing no harm, the nanny accepted the money and bottle and did as instructed.
When she returned, to her shock, the motorcycle rider, the woman and little Nguemo were nowhere to be seen, prompting her to raise the alarm, Iornem recalled.
With tears streaming down her face, Mrs. Iornem, a mother of five, is pleading with the Benue state government, security agencies, civil society bodies and Nigerians to save her the trauma of losing her child, given the relentless spate of insecurity in the land, and to ensure the safe return of the infant.
Efforts by our reporter to get the police to comment on the issue failed as the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Orchia Peter Aondongu, did not respond to a message forwarded to him on the matter.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Little Nguemo…missing.
