Nearly three months after 25-year-old Ms. Comfort Uwakwe left her Lagos home to visit her boyfriend in Epe, her family and kinsmen are trapped in a cruel limbo of hope and fear, as questions multiply over her disappearance and the handling of the case by security agencies.

Comfort, a native of Owalla Autonomous Community in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State, was last heard from on October 25, 2025. Since then, her whereabouts have remained unknown, while an alleged confession by her boyfriend and the discovery of a severed leg said to be linked to the case have deepened the mystery rather than resolve it.

Frustrated by what they describe as slow progress and unanswered questions, the Owalla Town Development Union (OTDU), Lagos branch, has now taken the matter to the public, calling for transparency, diligence and justice.

According to the family, Comfort, who resided at 1, Olusegun Close, off Eliasau Street, Mafolokun, Oshodi, travelled to Epe on October 25, 2025, to visit a male friend.

Her sister disclosed that on arrival, Comfort called her female friend, Ifeoma, to confirm she had reached Epe safely and had met the person she went to see. Hours later, however, the mood changed dramatically.

At about 10:08 p.m. that same day, Comfort reportedly made a distress call to Ifeoma, saying she had been locked in a room and was in danger. Shortly after, her phone went off. That call, relatives say, was the last time anyone heard from her.

Two days later, on October 27, 2025, the family reported Comfort missing at Makinde Police Station, Oshodi. An Investigating Police Officer (IPO) was assigned, but the family said they were advised to proceed to Epe Police Station since Comfort was last seen there.

At Epe Police Station, they were reportedly referred back to Makinde Police Station. Investigations eventually commenced on October 28, 2025.

Almost a month later, on November 26, 2025, the man Comfort had gone to visit was arrested in Epe and taken to Makinde Police Station. Two days after, he was transferred to the Lagos State Police Command Special Squad, Ikeja, as a suspect in the case.

There was an accident – Suspect

According to the family and community leaders, the suspect allegedly admitted to meeting Comfort in Epe on the day she was last seen. He reportedly told investigators that they drank together, after which she became tipsy, prompting him to lock her in a hotel room.

He further claimed that she later had an accident along the Epe highway, where a trailer allegedly crushed her.

The Police, the family said, were later taken to an alleged accident scene by the suspect, where a leg was recovered about a month after the supposed incident. The leg was presented as the only remains believed to belong to Comfort.

However, the family immediately disputed this claim.

“When we saw the picture of the leg, we insisted it was not Comfort’s,” a family source said, adding that the police subsequently demanded an autopsy and DNA test, with the family asked to bear the cost.

The development has left Comfort’s family traumatised and searching for clarity. In a statement signed by OTDU Lagos branch president, Mr. Chiedozie Nzeh, the group raised several troubling questions:

Whose leg was recovered by the police? If the leg truly belonged to Comfort, where are the other parts of her body? If she was allegedly locked in a hotel room, how did she escape to the highway? What have hotel staff on duty that day told investigators? Was there evidence of forced entry or escape from the hotel room? Why are other possible angles, including foul play, not being thoroughly explored? How could a severed leg remain intact at an accident scene for weeks without decomposition?

“These and many more questions are begging for answers that are critical for the sake of justice,” the statement read, urging the police to exercise due diligence before drawing conclusions.

For the people of Owalla, Comfort is more than a missing person; she is a daughter, a sister, and a symbol of the vulnerability many young women face.

The union has appealed to the Nigerian public, human rights groups and relevant authorities to take interest in the case, stressing that only a thorough and transparent investigation can bring closure.

Anyone with useful information regarding the whereabouts of Ms. Comfort Uwakwe has been urged to contact the police or reach the family.

As the days stretch into months, Comfort’s family continues to wait, caught between fear and hope, praying that the truth, however painful, will finally come to light. (Saturday Vanguard, excluding headline)

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