••• How Vice Principal Went Missing Amid Conflicting Accounts
The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Olaloye Olatunde, a vice principal of Ipele Community High School, Owo, continues to deepen, with new revelations exposing conflicting narratives from his family, hotel management, and the organisers of the seminar he attended.
What began as a professional trip to Akure for a training programme has now spiraled into a case clouded by unanswered questions, disputed CCTV footage, and allegations of negligence.
A Teacher’s Journey Turns Tragic
Mr. Olatunde travelled from Owo to Akure on Sunday, August 24, 2025, to attend a week-long Child Labour Programme organised by Trace Project Akure in partnership with Charakids Foundation.
According to his wife, Mrs. Adenike Olaloye, he called her after checking into Sunview Hotel, Alagbaka, where all participants were lodged.
“We spoke regularly until Wednesday,” she recalled. “By Friday, his phone was no longer reachable. The seminar was supposed to end that day, but I never heard from him again.”
His wife, now hospitalised after breaking her leg during the search for him, added:
“I was the one who arranged his bag before he travelled. That same bag was what they later found in his hotel room. Sadly, they had already packed it out without telling me.”
Family in Shock, CCTV in Question
The missing vice principal’s elder brother, Mr. Zacheus Olaloye, a retired civil servant, was the first family member to storm the hotel after raising alarm.
“When my brother’s wife called me that she hadn’t seen my brother, I went to Sunview. The staff initially told me that all participants had checked out. But later I discovered the bag they said was abandoned was my brother’s own, with his clothes and shoes still inside,” he said.
He claims their efforts to access the hotel’s CCTV recordings were frustrating.
“We tried to preview the footage, but nothing worked. Later, the management showed us a grainy video of a man walking out of the premises. But that wasn’t my brother. The figure wasn’t clear at all.”
Hotel Management Defends Its Actions
Hotel officials, however, insist they followed due process. The manager, Mr. Kenneth Ekpeyong, and another staff, Mrs. Oluwaseyi Adebayo, told reporters that all participants were well accounted for until Friday evening.
“On August 24, 49 participants arrived, later increasing to 58. On Friday, we organised an Asun Night for them, as part of our hospitality package. Some left that night, while others checked out on Saturday,” Adebayo explained.
According to her, one facilitator instructed the hotel to clear the belongings in Room 305, claiming the occupant had travelled to sign teachers’ salary vouchers.
“We used our master card to open the room, packed the bag, and documented it. Later we were told it was the vice principal’s bag.”
On the contentious CCTV issue, Adebayo added:
“From our CCTV, we saw him on Wednesday, and then again on Thursday morning, August 28, at exactly 6:17 a.m., when he walked out of the hotel and never returned. That is why the room was eventually opened.”
But the family insists the footage shown was inconclusive.
Organisers in the Spotlight
The organisers of the Child Labour programme — Trace Project Akure and Charakids Foundation — have also come under scrutiny.
The family alleges that neither the NGOs nor the hotel reached out to them formally after Olatunde disappeared. Instead, the relatives had to push for police involvement by reporting at the Zone 17 AIG office, before being redirected to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad.
“Sunview has not called us, and the organisers have done nothing tangible to help us find my brother. We are the ones chasing everyone. They should help us,” said Mr. Zacheus.
Police Step In
The Ondo State Police Command confirmed that investigations have commenced.
Spokesperson SP Olushola Ayanlade told reporters:
“The command has launched an investigation into the mystery surrounding his disappearance. We call on members of the public to provide any useful information that can assist us in unraveling the case.”
Police sources confirmed that Olatunde’s belongings had been collected from the hotel and deposited at the station as part of evidence gathering.
Unanswered Questions
The case has raised troubling questions yet to be addressed:
Why were the hotel’s CCTV cameras initially reported as non-functional, only for a disputed video clip to later emerge?
Why did the organisers not raise alarm earlier when one participant failed to check out?
Why were Olatunde’s belongings hastily removed from his room without family consent?
Was there foul play within or outside the hotel premises?
Until these questions are resolved, the disappearance of Vice Principal Olatunde remains a disturbing riddle for both his grieving family and the Ondo public.
Credit: Omo Edema
