By Ile Ife, Osun, Nigeria – Dorcas Oseghal, a Part 3 student of the Department of Chemistry at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, suddenly disappeared on the night of Wednesday, August 6. According to claims and messages being circulated, she had stepped out at 8:00 PM that evening to get food at Maintenance but never returned. Her phone has been switched off, leaving no means of contacting her. Tomiwa Adekunle, a friend of Dorcas, posted on X (formerly Twitter): “We just found out from the food vendor that she never got there to buy the food — her name was not on the transaction history for last night. The update is that she left her hostel, Adesanmi House, at about 8:10 PM to walk to Maintenance. She should have arrived by 8:30 PM at the latest, as it’s about a 20-minute walk. Her phone went off at 8:36 PM when her friend tried to reach her, and since then, there has been no news.” Since Wednesday night, no further information has been received regarding Deborah or her whereabouts.
OAU Management Involves Police in Search Process
The management of Obafemi Awolowo University, in a press release by Abiodun Olanrewaju, the Public Relations Officer of the university, explained that the security unit received an update about the case on August 7 via a student’s social media platform. On that same day, Akintunde Omobolanle, Deborah’s roommate, along with other students, reported the case to the security unit.
According to the release, due to resource limitations, the Security Unit has collaborated with police personnel to further investigate the case. Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, the Vice-Chancellor, has commended students for their vigilance and urged anyone with information about Dorcas’s whereabouts to contact local authorities or the university’s Security Unit.
Great Ife Students’ Union Provides Update
On Friday, August 8, the Great Ife Students’ Union issued a statement confirming the incident. The Union assured students that the matter is being handled with urgency. The release also explained that it is collaborating with university authorities, security agencies, and relevant stakeholders to locate Dorcas. They noted that they visited the Ife Police Area Command alongside Dorcas’s mother and friends to check for any updates.
Furthermore, the Union urged anyone with information, no matter how small, to report it to Union officials or the nearest police station, assuring anonymity. The release also alerted students to remain vigilant, move in groups, and look out for one another.
