It is a somber moment in the township of Ode-Irele, the headquarters of Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State as a yet-to-be-identified baby has gone missing and cannot be found since yesterday.
The incident which happened at the Gbeleju Quarters of the bitumen-rich town has thrown the parents of the two-month-old baby, and indeed the whole town, into unexpected mourning, thereby increasing the intensity of fear among residents.
According to an informant, it happened that the mother of the baby had around 8pm on Monday gone to get some home utilities in a shop adjacent to her residence, leaving the baby with her two-year old sibling inside the room.
Surprisingly, on getting home, the baby could not be found. An instantaneous search for the baby around the compound took the mother and her neighbours to the backyard of the house wherein the baby laid, only to find the baby’s bed empty there.
The mother immediately burst into tears while sympathisers gathered around her to offer their words of comfort.
The incident has left every mouth wide open since yesterday and the baby has not been found as of the time of filing this report.
While a search has been launched to find the missing baby, there are insinuations that the baby was likely kidnapped by ritualists who are bent on acquiring inordinate wealth through human sacrifices.
Details later….
