18-year-old girl flees from home with boyfriend

Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command are currently doing everything it can to trace the whereabouts of an 18-year-old girl, Taiwo Olakunle, who fled from her guardian's home with her boyfriend.

According to reports by the family, Olakunle, who is from Ondo State, was brought to Lagos in July, 2014, by her aunt and has been staying with the family on Adeolu Street, Balogun, Iju, a suburb of the state.

The young girl was enrolled as an hair dressing apprentice by her aunt but she immediately became the attention of street boys who all hustled for her attention. On November 11, while at the salon, she was reportedly beaten up by a gang of street boys who claimed she intruded into their discussion.

The matter was reported to the Iju Police Division, and the police arrested her assailants but the following day after coming back from a hospital where she was admitted, she reportedly packed her belongings and sneaked out of the house with an unidentified man who is believed to be her lover, and has not been seen since then.

It was when it dawned on her aunt and her family that Olakunle had gone missing and after searching for her for days to no avail, the matter was reported to the police at the Iju police station.

Her aunt, Ola Lawal, stated that in the course of investigation, she and her husband were arrested and detained for two days by the police.

She further narrated the the circumstances that led to the missing girl:

"Taiwo (Olakunle) is my niece. Her parents are dead. She was just staying idle in our town in Ondo State and I decided to bring her to Lagos. I enrolled her at the hairdressing salon two months after she arrived in Lagos.

On November 12, she came back from treating herself at the hospital. The men who beat her up said she was intruding into their discussion, but the police arrested them and charged them to court.

When she came back that November 12, some people said they saw her pack her things and walk out of the compound.

They said they saw a motorcycle rider pick her up and zoom off. That was the last time we ever saw her. She was already doing well in the hairdressing vocation, and her boss liked her.

All the time she stayed with us, we did not allow her to indulge herself. I still cannot believe a girl who does not know Lagos will disappear like that.

On December 22, the police at Iju even came to arrest my husband and me. We slept in the cell and were released the following day because it was alleged that we were hiding her."

Her husband, Ibrahim Lawal also spoke of the pain the family has gone through since Taiwo's disappearance:

"When one of our neighbours came on a visit and heard about Taiwo, she said she saw her at Katangowa Market in the Abule Egba area buying some clothes with a man. She said she did not call out to her because she was not aware the teenager was being searched for.

Another person told us he saw her on another evening in the Alagbado area going out with a man. This girl should have mercy on us and return home. If she wants to get married, let her inform us officially and then go"

Taiwo's boss at the salon she was an apprentice, Tosin Bada, gave what could be an insight to the claims that she must have ran away with a man.

She noted that there was one instance when a man came to flirt with Taiwo, and she had sent the supposed lover away.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, also confirmed the incident and urged anyone who sees the teenager to report to the police at the Iju police station.

"Taiwo Olakunle is about four feet tall and fair in complexion. If seen, the public should contact the Iju Police Station."