A woman whose identity could not be ascertained has reportedly disappeared with a six-year-old girl, Agatha Ngohide Apenanibo, from RCM primary school Tionsha in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State.
Our correspondent gathered that the primary one pupil of RCM primary school, Tionsha, a Makurdi suburb, was lured by the unknown woman while playing with her friends during the break period.
The headmistress of the school, Mrs Grace Torkuma, told journalists in Makurdi that the incident happened on Thursday October 26, 2023.
Torkuma explained that Agatha actually came to school and was marked “present” in the class register during the morning roll call and was in the class till break period when she and her classmates went out for break.
She however said that Agatha never returned to class again after the break and that nobody noticed her absence because it was normal with the pupils in the school as most of them are instructed by their parents or guardians to return home to assist in domestic works, to sell or hawk their foodstuffs either in the market or within the community.
The headmistress said she has been battling with parents over such excuses and so did not take Abigail’s absence seriously until the following day when the matter was brought to her notice by her class teacher when the father reported the incident to the school.
She further narrated that while the pupils were on break, Agatha in company of her classmates who later gave eye witnesses account of the incident, stated that, they were playing by the roadside which was close to the Makurdi-Naka road when an unknown woman called her (Agatha) and gave her unspecified amount of money to buy biscuit and also followed her to where they never returned from.
Torkuma attributed the incident to lack of perimeter fence which makes the school porous, unrestricted and vulnerable to trespassing, making it very difficult to control or restrict pupils within the school environment.
Meanwhile, the matter was said to had been reported to the “D” Division police station in Makurdi.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Benue Command, SP Catherine Anene, confirmed the development, saying, that investigation into the matter was currently going on.
Anene appealed to parents and guardian and relevant school authorities to take extra precautionary measures to ensure the safety of their wards, students and pupils especially now that we are in “Ember months” approaching chrismas festivities.
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