Ondo Police Probe Disappearance of Secondary School Vice Principal After Akure Seminar

Police detectives in Ondo State have begun investigating the mysterious disappearance of a secondary school vice principal, Olaloye Olatunde, who vanished after attending a seminar in Akure, the state capital.

Olatunde, Vice Principal of Ipele Community High School in Owo, reportedly travelled to Akure on Sunday to attend a Child Labour Programme organised by Trace Project Akure in partnership with Charakids Foundation. He checked into a hotel in Alagbaka, where other participants lodged, but has not been seen since.

According to his wife, Mrs Adenike Olaloye, she remained in constant contact with her husband until Wednesday but by Friday his phone became unreachable. “The seminar was supposed to end that day, but I never heard from him again. I was the one who packed his bag before he travelled. That same bag was later found in his hotel room, already packed out without my knowledge” she said.

His elder brother, Mr Zacheus Olaloye, a retired civil servant, confirmed that the family discovered his clothes and shoes abandoned at the hotel. He said efforts to review CCTV footage were unsuccessful, as the management only showed them a blurry video of a man walking out, which he insisted was not his brother.

He also lamented that neither the hotel management nor the seminar organisers had formally reached out to the family since the disappearance.

The hotel’s manager, Mr Kenneth Ekpeyong, explained that 58 participants lodged at the hotel, adding that some checked out on Friday night after an event tagged “Asun Night.” A staff member, Mrs Oluwaseyi Adebayo, said a facilitator instructed them to clear the belongings in Room 305, claiming the occupant had travelled to sign salary vouchers. She added that CCTV showed Olatunde leaving the premises on Thursday morning and never returning.

The matter was reported to the police at Zone 17 before being transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad. Confirming the development, the state police spokesperson, Ayanlade Olayinka, said: “The command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the man’s disappearance. We call on members of the public to provide useful information to help unravel the case.”