The mother of 13-year-old Adekunle Emanuela Ige, popularly known as Ella, who went missing after an alleged flood incident at the Federal Low Cost Housing Estate in Umuahia, Abia State, has spoken exclusively to ABN TV, appealing for help as the search for her daughter continues.
Ella disappeared on Monday evening after she was said to have gone on an errand shortly before heavy rainfall in the area.
Speaking to ABN TV on Tuesday, her mother, Mrs. Adekunle Chinasa Ige, clarified that Ella is 13 years old and her first daughter.
She said Ella had been living with her younger sister and that she only learnt about the incident on Tuesday morning.
According to her, she immediately travelled from Ohafia to Umuahia after receiving the news to find out what had happened to her daughter.
“I was told this morning. So we came down from Ohafia to this place to know what happened and how it all happened,” she said.
Mrs. Ige also disclosed that the police had become involved in the matter and that the family was cooperating with them as efforts to establish Ella’s whereabouts continued.
Recounting what she was told by her younger sister, the distraught mother said Ella had been sent to purchase an item before the heavy rain started.
“My younger sister said she sent her on an errand yesterday before it started raining. Though it was a little bit cloudy, she gave her an umbrella to go and get something, so that in case it started raining, she would have the umbrella,” she explained.
She said concern grew when Ella failed to return home after several hours, prompting a search for her.
The family subsequently visited the shop where Ella was said to have purchased the item and spoke with the woman operating the shop in an attempt to piece together her last known movements.
According to Mrs. Ige’s account of that conversation, the shopkeeper said the rainfall and accompanying flood were so heavy that the drainage channel in front of the shop was covered by water, making it difficult to distinguish the gutter from the walkway.
Mrs. Ige expressed concern that her daughter, being a young girl, may not have been able to identify a safe place to step while leaving the shop.
She also questioned why Ella was not asked to remain at the shop until the rain and floodwater subsided or assisted across the drainage channel.
The mother, however, raised further questions about what may have happened after the family said Ella’s two slippers were found around the area where she was believed to have fallen into the gutter.
She stressed that the discovery had left the family uncertain about the exact circumstances of her disappearance.
According to her, relatives and residents have followed the drainage route and searched surrounding areas, including bushes, but have yet to find Ella.
“My elder brother has even entered inside the bush and searched everywhere. But now, we couldn’t lay our hands on anywhere,” she said.
Mrs. Ige appealed to residents, security agencies, emergency responders and members of the public to assist the family in finding her daughter.
“I’m appealing, please, if there is anything people can do, please help us,” she pleaded.
The mother, who said she hails from Elu Ohafia in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State, maintained that the family’s immediate priority is to establish Ella’s whereabouts.
As of the time of filing this report, Ella had not been found, while the circumstances surrounding her disappearance remained unclear.
The family’s account concerning the slippers and other circumstances at the scene has also not been independently verified, and there is currently no confirmed evidence suggesting that Ella’s disappearance resulted from anything other than the suspected flood incident.
Police involvement in the matter, as disclosed by the mother, comes as relatives, residents and other concerned persons continue efforts to locate the teenager.
ABN TV will continue to follow developments surrounding the search for Ella and provide updates as verified information becomes available.
