By Peter Dansu In a heartbreaking appeal to the authorities and the public, the wife of a missing welder in Badagry, Lagos State, has crie...
By Peter Dansu
In a heartbreaking appeal to the authorities and the public, the wife of a missing welder in Badagry, Lagos State, has cried out for justice and pleaded with the suspected killers to release her husband’s body for burial.
The victim, 32-year-old Ishola Jamiu, a professional welder, went missing on June 16, 2025, after he was reportedly lured to a customer’s site for a welding job. His wife, a 27-year-old businesswoman and mother of two, speaking in an interview with recounted the horrifying ordeal in an exclusive interview with Punch.
According to her, Jamiu had been contacted repeatedly by a longtime customer, one Ifagbenga, a herbalist, over minor issues concerning iron doors he had installed. Despite initially suggesting he’d send one of his apprentices, Jamiu eventually agreed to go himself.
That morning, he dropped his wife off at her shop along Pipeline Bus Stop and told her he was heading to Badagry to inspect another job for Ifagbenga. That was the last time she saw him.
By midday, calls to his phone went unanswered. Although he managed to send a previously requested amount of money, he remained unreachable.
“I went to his shop and asked his apprentices where he was. They said he had gone to handle a job,” she said. “By 9 p.m., I was already panicking. I called a man named Mr. Saheed, who had a nearby shop, and together we searched hospitals and even a morgue, but he was nowhere to be found.”
She said their report to the police was initially turned down because it hadn’t been 24 hours since his disappearance. It wasn’t until the third day that they formally reported it at the Mowo Police Station, prompting a search that led them to a chilling discovery.
Using a phone tracker, Jamiu’s last known location was traced to an uncompleted building allegedly owned by Ifagbenga. The police arrested the security guard, who was found with the victim’s phone, motorcycle, work tools, house keys, and personal items like his son’s clipper.
“My heart shattered when I saw his belongings there,” the grieving wife said in tears. “I asked the security guard where my husband was, and he said, ‘Na Ifa kill am, he carry am go.’”
The security guard later attempted to escape while handcuffed but was apprehended. He reportedly told investigators that Ifagbenga and a bricklayer were with Jamiu the day he arrived, but that only the herbalist returned—alone.
Despite this, Ifagbenga continues to deny any involvement, claiming he was at the airport on the day in question.
The woman, now sheltering at her mother’s home with her two young children, says she has accepted that her husband may be dead. However, she pleads for the return of his body so the family can bury him properly.
“He didn’t deserve this. My children keep asking for their father. I don’t know how to tell them he was called for a job and never returned,” she said.
Adding to the mystery, locals say solar panels stolen from a mosque in the area were found in the same house. Other disturbing items such as women’s clothing, bras, and student uniforms were also allegedly discovered there, prompting suspicions that the property may have been used for criminal rituals.
“I believe Ifagbenga has been doing this for a long time. He may have a gang,” she alleged. “His attitude at the police station showed no remorse. He came with his lawyer and even some herbalists.”
She further expressed frustration at the slow pace of justice, saying the suspects have yet to be charged in court and that the police’s refusal to apply pressure or forceful questioning may result in a cover-up.
“We have involved a lawyer, but they keep saying to wait. How long must we wait? My husband is gone, and we don’t even have his body to mourn properly. I want justice. Nigerians, help me,” she pleaded.
The case has since been transferred to Panti Police Station in Yaba, where investigations are ongoing. The security guard, his father, and Ifagbenga remain in custody.
As the days pass without resolution, the bereaved widow continues her search—not just for answers, but for the dignity to bury the man she called husband.
“I want the government to intervene,” she said. “Don’t let them silence us. My husband cannot die in vain.”
No comments