Arik staff declared missing after visiting boyfriend

According to police report, the Cross River State born Utum, a graduate of Accounting from the University of Calabar, had left her office in Ikeja on January 1, 2016, to visit her lover and has not been seen since then as her whereabouts has remained a mystery.

The case was reported at the Ojodu Police Division while Amelogu was reportedly arrested after a mobile phone and a handbag belonging to the victim were found in his apartment on the day she went missing, but no headway has been made in tracing Utum who was working in the hospitality department of airline.

The missing Grace Utum

Photo Credit: Facebook

An uncle of the victim, Felix Omini, explained that the family became worried after her mother called one of her telephone lines and a stranger picked the call.

“Her mother called her that night and discovered that it was a stranger that picked the call. The stranger said the phone was missing and its owner had called him and said she was coming for it in company with a man.

Grace’s mother called her boyfriend, Amelogu, thinking he was the man the stranger was referring to. But he said he had also been trying to reach her without success.”

The victim’s father, Obongha Utum, said his daughter and Amelogu had been dating for three years and would have been married, but for a problem with their blood compatibility.

“The police said we should talk to the boyfriend because that was where she said she was going, but I don’t know what to think. They are church members and were supposed to have been married; but that became impossible after they discovered their genotypes were not compatible.

We have also gone to Agbado Crossing in Ogun State, where she lived with a friend. We didn’t meet anybody in the house; everywhere was deserted.”

Grace Utum has been declared missing

Photo Credit: Facebook

The boyfriend, Amelogu, also explained that the last time he communicated with Utum was on January 1, at about 3pm and since then, has not heard from her.

“We were together on December 31, 2015; she slept at my place. She sometimes stayed at my place because her office in Ikeja is closer to my house in Ojodu Berger. She rented an apartment in Agbado Crossing, Ogun State.

Around 6am on January 1, she said she was going to the office. We always had a family reunion every New Year at my uncle’s place in Ajah, so we planned to meet there.

I spoke with her around 12 noon. Then around 3pm, when I was at my uncle’s place, we communicated again and I asked if she was still coming. She said she was rounding off at the office and would soon join me.

But after that, her phone went and was unreachable till 7pm.

Her mother said she called her and a stranger picked it and said the phone was missing. I was surprised because she (Grace) didn’t call me that she had misplaced her phone.

I decided to call the number myself, but it was unreachable. I kept calling till 2am, when it was switched off,” Amelogu, a civil engineer, said.