In a surprising turn of events, Olumide Openaike, an employee of Kemta Oloko microfinance bank in Ogun State, strategically engineered his disappearance, allegedly to escape the repercussions of a looming N1.7 million debt scandal.
SP Omolola Odutola, the spokesperson for the State Police Command, disclosed this information to Newsmem in Abeokuta on Tuesday.
Temitope, the banker’s wife, initially shared how Olumide went missing on January 17 while en route to work.
Mrs Openaike had, however, on Thursday told our correspondent,
“I am happy to tell you that my husband has been found in a place called Mokwa in Niger State. He called me on Tuesday afternoon.
“He got the phone from one of the residents there because he said those who abducted him collected his phone. We then told him to make a report at the polic station there; the police officer on duty who spoke to us said he was in Mokwa.
“Transportation money was then arranged and sent to him; he got to Ibadan yesterday, Wednesday, where he slept, and his family members are at Ibadan. He will be back to Abeokuta today.”
The police have, however, described the reported abduction of the banker as fake and an incident that never happened.
Confirming the incident to newsmen in Abeokuta, Odutola said,
“The police found out that the banker, Olumide Openaike, faked his abduction over a N1.7 million debt. The money actually belongs to the bank where he works.
“What happened was that a customer was remitting the money to the bank, but Openaike was diverting it into personal use. He said he then got depressed and decided to fake his abduction. He is already detained by the police.”
| Vanguard