The mother of a 13-year-old girl, Adekunle Emmanuella Ige, has appealed to the Abia State Government, emergency agencies and members of the public to help locate her daughter, who reportedly disappeared during a heavy downpour in Umuahia.
Emmanuella was said to have gone missing on Monday evening after her maternal aunt sent her on an errand to a nearby shop at the Low Cost Housing Estate, Umuahia.
According to the mother, Mrs Adekunle Chinasa Ige, the teenager was allegedly swept into a large drainage channel after heavy rainfall caused flooding in the area.
Speaking during an interview with ABN TV monitored by our correspondent, Ige said she was in Ohafia when she received the distressing news that her daughter had disappeared.
She explained that Emmanuella had been staying with her younger sister in Umuahia before the incident.
The mother said her sister sent the girl to buy some items shortly before the rain started, adding that she was given an umbrella in case the weather worsened.
She said concern grew when the teenager failed to return after several hours, prompting members of the family and other residents to begin searching for her.
According to Ige, the shopkeeper later explained that the rainfall was so heavy that floodwater covered the drainage channel in front of the shop, making it difficult to distinguish the gutter from the walkway.
She expressed concern that the teenager might not have realised where the drainage channel was while attempting to leave the area.
Ige said the police had commenced an investigation into the disappearance and that the family was cooperating with the authorities in the search for the girl.
Appealing for assistance, the distraught mother said, “I’m appealing, please, if there is anything people can do, please help us.”
As of the time of filing the report, Emmanuella had yet to be found, while the exact circumstances surrounding her disappearance remained unclear.