The family of 17-year-old Imole Ilesanmi has raised the alarm after the teenager went missing in the Agbado area of Ogun State.
Imole reportedly left her family home around 3pm on Sunday, September 20, and has not returned. Imole Ilesanmi was said to have planned a visit to the Popóshóla area after preparing food for her father.
Her family has since appealed for information that could help locate her.
Imole Ilesanmi disappears after leaving home
Imole’s father said she was at home when he asked her to prepare food before she left.
According to him, the family later learnt that she intended to visit a cleric in the Popóshóla area.
He said calls to her phone initially rang but were not answered. Her friends and other people contacted by the family also reportedly said she had mentioned going towards the area.
The matter was subsequently reported at the Agbado Police Station.
The father said the cleric was arrested during the investigation but was later released. He expressed concern that the cleric could have information that might assist the search.
Some residents reportedly told the family they had seen Imole around the neighbourhood.
Cleric denies seeing missing teenager
The cleric, identified as Alfa, denied that Imole visited his residence on the day she disappeared.
He said the teenager had told people she was going to Popóshóla, rather than his house.
Alfa also said he had been detained for a day and maintained that a police officer was with him at his residence during the period in question.
He said he was willing to provide the officer’s contact details to support his account.
Family battles rumours over Imole Ilesanmi
Imole’s sister, Ayomide Ilesanmi, said the family had received different accounts about the teenager’s movements since she disappeared.
She said a neighbour reportedly saw Imole walking around and appearing restless before she was no longer seen.
The family has also visited churches and a mosque to pray for her safe return.
Ayomide said the family began sharing Imole’s pictures online but received several unverified reports. Some messages falsely claimed that her body had been found.
She said the conflicting information had made the search more difficult for the family.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Babaseyi Oluseyi, had not responded to enquiries about the case at the time of the report.
However, a senior police officer familiar with the matter confirmed that the case had been reported but declined to provide further details.