The Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Matters to Oyo State Governor, Mrs Bolanle Sarumi-Aliyu, has raised an alarm over a missing Iseyin indigent, Jamiu Adebayo Adekunle, who had gone to Turkey for his Master’s degree program.
Sarumi-Aliyu who made this known while speaking with journalists in her office on development, disclosed that the parents of the missing person had written a letter to the state government through the Diaspora Matters office, seeking assistance of the state government to help find and return the missing person’s home safely.
Adekunle, who was said to be a graduate from one of the prestigious universities in Nigeria did not however state name of the school he graduated from in Nigeria.
According to the letter written and signed by parents of Jamiu Adebayo, Mr Muraina Adekunle, seeking the assistance of Oyo state government, explained that before their son became missing, he usually contacted them from time to time before the global outbreak of covid-19.
The father in the letter said, “My son, Adebayo, graduated from one of the prestigious universities in Nigeria before he proceeded to Uskudar University, Istanbul, for his master’s degree.
“He always contacts us regularly before the outbreak of the first phase of coronavirus pandemic.
“We tried to reach one of his friends over there and he promised to help us look for him. His friend’s name is Samuel. Samuel looked for him but the condition he met him is bad, he told us my son was medically not okay and he was having mental problem with picture sent to us.
“We made all our possible efforts so that his friends could help take him to hospital but all our efforts was abortive.”
Speaking further, Sarumi-Aliyu, said she has reasons to believe that the missing person is currently suffering from mental illness, stressing that revelations from her findings indicated that Jamiu Adebayo Adekunle has been mentally unstable for some time.
She maintained that her office has made considerable efforts to follow up the story brought to her by Mr Muraina Adekunle and has made some shocking discoveries.
Parts of the contacts made according to her are to the Turkish High Commission in Nigeria, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Nigerian Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM)
Sarumi-Aliyu expressed appreciations and commended the minister of foreign affairs, Mr Godfrey Onyeama and the Chairman of NIDCOM, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa for her tireless support, stressing that the duo has been tremendously helpful with their support and response to emergencies from Oyo state which has helped her office record quick success in its mission to ensure that all residents of Oyo state living in all countries of the world are properly accounted for.
According to the governor’s aide, her preliminary investigations after receiving feedback from the foreign affairs ministry revealed that parents of the missing person who are peasant farmers have sent over N500,000 to Jamiu’s friends in Turkey since he was first reported missing in 2020.
She, however, appealed to the Nigerian community especially those of Oyo state origin resident in Turkey to urgently report to the Nigerian embassy in Turkey or directly contact her via oyostatediasporans@gmail.com, or via her office social media handle oyostate_diasporans.
