Family demands answers, recounts 16 months of agony
Says expatriates freed, husband left behind
Father-in-law dies from emotional trauma
The wife of Mr. Olaoluwa Adetona, a rollout manager with telecommunications company Globacom Nigeria, who was allegedly abducted 16months ago during an official assignment in Imo State, has cried out for answers, appealing that her husband be found and accounted for.
Mrs. Adetona, who spoke in an emotionally laden voice, lamented the prolonged silence surrounding her husband’s whereabouts, noting that the vacuum created by his disappearance has brought untold hardship and psychological trauma to the young family.
According to her, Mr. Adetona disappeared on May 6, 2025, after embarking on a site-acquisition assignment alongside two expatriates.
Describing the harrowing moment she realized something was amiss, she recounted calling her husband’s mobile line at about 9:00 p.m. that fateful day, only to be answered by an unknown person.
“After the caller allegedly insulted me when I requested to speak with Adetona, I contacted his housemate in Imo State, who broke the news that my husband had allegedly been kidnapped,” she said.
Painting a grim picture of life at home since the incident, Mrs. Adetona stated that the children have become incessant with questions regarding their father’s prolonged absence.
“My children are not seeing their daddy, and they keep asking me every day, ‘Where is our daddy?’ I tell them that he went on a trip and that he will soon return,” she sobbed.
“But it is over a year now. How long do I continue telling them that? He is across the country. Before this happened, he used to come home every fortnight to check on us and then return to work. Now, for over a year, we have not seen him.”
The distraught wife expressed deep concern over the circumstances of the abduction, noting that while the two expatriates who accompanied him on the field assignment were eventually freed, her husband remains unaccounted for.
She further criticized Globacom management, stating that the company failed to notify the family immediately when the incident occurred.
Mrs. Adetona alleged that she was later contacted by individuals claiming the abductors were demanding N1 million to grant her access to her husband’s voice. However, she said company officials intervened, urging her to sever communication with the kidnappers and promising that the firm was managing the situation.
She was subsequently told that ransom payments had been dispatched and that her husband’s release was imminent—a promise that never materialized.
In a desperate bid for answers, the family shuttled between Lagos and Imo State, interfacing with company representatives and security agencies. Despite endless assurances, no concrete headway has been made.
The psychological toll has also claimed another casualty. Mrs. Adetona disclosed that her husband’s father passed away earlier this year after battling the severe emotional burden triggered by his son’s disappearance.
Frustrated by what they termed institutional foot-dragging, the family has retained legal counsel to press for accountability after previous formal appeals failed to yield a meaningful response.
Strongly pushing back against any unofficial insinuations that her husband might have been killed during the ordeal, Mrs. Adetona maintained that no definitive evidence has been presented to substantiate such claims.
“There is no proof that he is dead. They should produce my husband,” she insisted.
She has made a passionate appeal to the Federal Government, security high commands, the management of Globacom, and well-meaning Nigerians to step into the matter and ensure justice is served.
