The lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has taken its toll on the University of Lagos, where a final year student of Actuarial Science, Mr Ayinde Kehinde Monsuru 32, has been reported missing.
Monsuru popularly called Living Thing allegedly left his home at No. 26 Ebun Street, Abule-Oja, off University Road, Akoka on Saturday, October 12 but has since not returned and his whereabouts have remained unknown.
A staunch Muslim, the missing student was also a committed member of Concerned Citizens Against Education Commercialization, COSATEC. He was said to have left Lagos for Ibadan on Thursday, October 10, 2013 to attend lectures at the Federal School of Statistics, Ibadan.
Two days later, he allegedly left his Ibadan residence located at Baba Ijebu House, off Akeke Mosque in the Bashorun area of Bode Wasinmi, Ibadan. Vanguard Metro, VM, learnt that the clothes which Monsuru washed were left hanging outside, one week after his disappearance. Nobody could confirm whether he actually attended the lecture.
The sudden disappearance of Monsuru hit the Muslim students and COSATEC members at UNILAG like a thunderbolt, hence they have swung into action to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of their colleague. The news of Monsuru’s disappearance was said to have affected the President of COSATEC, Usman Oloyede who took ill and was hospitalised.
Speaking to VM in a voice laden with an emotion, Usman who said he saw his friend for the last time on October 10, 2013 before he embarked on the ill-fated journey to Ibadan, explained that all efforts to reach Monsuru on phone yielded no fruits as all his cell phones were switched off.
‘’We have been friends for almost six years and his cell phones were never switched off. He likes to send text messages when unable to respond to people’s calls. We were therefore very worried when his cell phones were switched off for days. We have combed all nooks and crannies of Lagos and Ibadan for him without any positive results,’’ he said.
Asked if the case was reported to the Police, Usman brought out a copy of the police report. According to him, the case was reported to the Police in Lagos, Oyo, and Osun states on Saturday, October 19, 2013. ‘’Since we filed the report, we have also made a fruitless effort to reach the Force Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mbah and his Lagos State counterpart, Ngozi Braide. In fact, they have stopped picking our calls,’’ he alleged.
When assistance from the Police was not forth-coming, the COSATEC President decided to post a report of the missing student in the social media. According to him, this yielded a positive response as a student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, Ondo State (names withheld) who saw his photograph in the social media, came up to say that he boarded a “pick and drop car” with Monsuru at Iwo Road, Ibadan on Saturday October 19, 2013.
According to the source, Monsuru was “seated in the cab with two other guys”. The missing student was allegedly seated in between the guys who spoke glowingly about him (Monsuru). But to their consternation, he (the missing student) did not utter a word as he dozed off . The informant claimed that he alighted from the cab at Cathedral Bus-Stop before boarding another vehicle to Akure,
Armed with this piece of information, Usman and other students went to the operators of the mobile phone that Monsuru subscribed to for assistance. But they were allegedly chased out of the premises. “We also took the Police report to his mobile phone operator for assistance but we were chased out of the office. Right now, we don’t know the next line of action to take. Nigerians should please come to our aid and help us find our friend’’ Usman pleaded.
‘Living thing’ as Monsuru was fondly called, was said to have completed his studies in Banking and Finance as well as Statistics at Yaba College of Technology, YABATECH, Lagos before enrolling for a degree programme in Actuarial Science in UNILAG.
Being a devout Muslim, he was expected back in Lagos for the ‘’Ileya’’ festival which took place on Wednesday October 15, 2013 but his friends became worried when he failed to show up for the festival or call any of them.
Monsuru’s father lives in the United States of America while his mother lives in here in Nigeria. VM sent text messages to both but only the father called back The man who identified himself as the national president of Ilorin indigenes in North America said: ‘’We are from Ilorin, Kwara State and Monsuru is my first son.
“I have been weeping here and doing all I can to search for him. I have tried to contact the Kwara State Governor for assistance but have not got a response yet. I am a devout Muslim who believes prayer can move mountains. My son also studied Economics at Olabisi Onabanjo University OAU. He is a member of ICAN and has been lecturing others. Monsuru was planning to join me in the USA for his post-graduate programme. Nigerians should help fish out my son,” he pleaded.
