The police in Lagos State are
investigating the sudden disappearance of a Ghanaian engineer, Dotse
Dzrekey, who allegedly got missing after attending a church service in
the Ikotun area of the state.
News Men learnt that the
59-year-old Dotse, who worked in an oil company in Accra, Ghana, had
come to Lagos to attend a prayer programme at the Synagogue Church of
All Nations, Ikotun.
Our correspondent gathered that on Thursday, May 5, the Ghanaian arrived at Lagos with a compatriot, Don Emmanuel.
They were reported to have lodged at a hotel in the Ikotun area.
News Men learnt that the duo
had gone for a service at SCOAN and were walking out of the auditorium,
when the engineer got lost in the crowd.
Emmanuel was said to have waited at the entrance of the auditorium even as there was no trace of his friend.
Subsequently, Emmanuel returned to the hotel where they lodged.
As of the time of filing this report, the victim had not been found.
Our correspondent learnt that the matter was reported at the Ikotun Police Division.
In an interview with News Men,
Emmanuel said he had assumed that Dotse had decided to return alone to
Ghana, until he (Emmanuel) was called on the telephone by Dotse’s family
members that they had yet to see him.
He said, “This is my second time in
Lagos. I am a SCOAN member in Ghana. I come to Lagos for prayers. Dotse
and I came to Lagos on May 5 and we checked into a hotel not on the
SCOAN premises.
“We had been going for several prayer
sessions. On Sunday, after the church service ended, there were a lot of
people coming out. In that process, I discovered he was no longer with
me. I went back into the building to check, but he was not there. He was
not with a mobile phone.
“I alerted some of the church ushers,
who said nobody was found. I thought that he had taken another route and
gone to the guest house. I got to the hotel, but he was not there as
well.
“There was little SCOAN could do since
it was not their guest house we lodged in. I went to the police station
on Monday and reported the matter. The police took my statement. But
since May 9, neither I nor his family members in Ghana have got any
update.
“He did not return to Ghana because his
family members called me that he had not returned. The Ghanaian High
Commission is also aware of this incident.”
The engineer’s younger brother, Jacob Dzrekey, told News Men that the family members in Ghana were distraught, urging the police to investigate the case.
He said, “He has three children. He had
some challenges and he came for special prayers. But nobody has seen him
ever since then.
“The family members are distressed. His
company in Accra has been communicating with us to use all channels in
Lagos to get him back.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations
Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident, adding that the
family had not reported back at the police station.
She said, “The Ghanaian had some mental
challenges and was brought to SCOAN for deliverance. He, however,
escaped to an unknown destination. The complainant dropped the victim’s
picture and left with a police extract. Ever since then, they have yet
to report back at the station.”
A member of the SCOAN media team,
Patrick Iwelunmor, said the church authorities would meet over the
matter on Friday (today) and get back to our correspondent.
He said, “I just heard about this
incident. The church authorities have been given your contact. They will
get back to you after meeting on Friday.”
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