Relations of a missing 14-year-old girl, Patience Paul, have alleged
that the primary six pupil of Mohammed Zako Model Primary School,
Sokoto, may have been abducted and housed at the palace of the Sultan of
Sokoto, in a scenario similar to that of Ese.
Father of the girl, Mr. Paul Adaji, an indigene of Ochobo in Ohimini
area of Benue State, told Vanguard on phone that his daughter had been
missing since August 12, 2015. Adaji, who resides in Sokoto with his
family, further alleged that some persons spotted his daughter at the
Sultan’s palace.
He said: “We got information that she was in the Sultan’s palace
and the last time we went there, we did not find
her.” When asked how they knew she was at the palace, he said: “Some
people told us that they saw her at the palace. They also used to camp
some of them there, that was why we went to the palace to see if she has
been taken there.
Even her friend, who used to be a Christian, was found there. She was taken there and they converted her.
“We will still continue to search for her. We will not give up; we only
want the world to help us so that our daughter can be released to us.”
Brother’s story Corroborating Mr. Adaji’s story
His son, Paul Isaac Adaji, gave an account of circumstances that led to
the disappearance of his sister. He said: “Patience is my younger
sister. We are based in Sokoto. That is where the issue occurred. My dad
is in Sokoto but we lost our mother two years ago.
My younger sister was brain-washed from school, Mohammed Zako Model Primary school, Sokoto. She is a primary six pupil.
“The fact is that sometime last year, we noticed she started keeping
some funny friends and her attitude started changing. This is a girl
that normally likes attending church activities.
“We cautioned her but along the line, she changed. Then again, she
started misbehaving. So at that point, my parent and I decided to move
her out of Sokoto and return her to Benue State so the rumours of
children converting does not happen to us as we do not have anybody to
fight for us.
“Unfortunately, what we were scared of later happened to us. Sometimes
we will see her returning from school with a veil covering her head.
When we inquired, she said it was given to her by her friend in school.
“We cautioned her on several occasions. But we later arranged with my dad to get her back to Benue.
Unfortunately,
she got to know about our plan to send her back to Benue and obviously
informed the people who were brainwashing her and they eventually
abducted her.
“When we could not see her, we started serious investigation and along
the line, discovered that it was one of our neighbours who actually
abducted her."
Hisbah takes over
“We reported the matter to the police. The masterminds of her abduction were invited by the Police.
They
made their confessions that the girl wanted to join their religion,
which was why they abducted her. They said they took her to the Hisbah
(Islamic Police).
“At that point, the Police invited the Hisbah and they came and gave their own statement.
They said they had taken the girl to the Sultan’s palace.
I was hoping that since the police had stepped in, my sister would come
home. But that did not happen. I reported the matter at the Police
Headquarters in Sokoto, but it was transferred to our Area Division. So
after the interrogations, the
Police said since I reported the matter at the headquarters, their findings will also be communicated to the headquarters.
“Two weeks later,
I went to the police headquarters here in Sokoto only for the police to tell us that we should just go and maintain peace. I became inquisitive and wanted to know what the police found that prompted that advice.
Bishop Kukah steps in
“It was at that point that I reported the matter to Catholic Bishop of
Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah. He was very angry with us, saying we
ought to have reported the matter to him earlier.
“He made some calls and promised to step into the matter. I became
restless and worried because the Bishop is a very busy person. We are
urging and pleading with all well-meaning Nigerians to help us
intervene.
“
From what we gathered, from last year up
to early this year, she was in the Sultan’s palace, but she has been
taken away from there since last month. We went there with my
other sister to check and they brought a different person to us. From
our investigations, she is not the only one because the two girls they
brought did not look like real Muslims.”
Source confirm palace connection
However, a source in Sokoto told Vanguard that the girl was actually
abducted and kept at the Sultan’s palace. The source also noted that the
teenager was not the only person abducted and kept at the palace,
adding that three other girls were in the palace.
The source said: “What is happening is not new; it is a common
occurrence in Sokoto and Katsina. Christian teenage girls are often
abducted and hidden in such places. Patience is not the only victim.
Three other girls were found to have been abducted and kept at the
palace. There is an Ibo girl among the three.”
Reacting to the development, Sokoto State Commissioner of Police, Salisu
Fagge, said: “It is not true. I have not received such report from
anybody. We relate very well with the palace and Bishop Kukah and such
report has never come to me.
“If we had got it, we would have taken prompt action. Please ask the man
to see me in the office without delay if what he is saying is true.
