Mrs Funmi Adetona, the wife of a missing telcom worker, has issued a desperate appeal to security agencies and corporate executives. Her husband, Mr Olaoluwa Adetona, vanished after being abducted in Imo State on May 6, 2025. Over 16 months have passed since the incident occurred, leaving his family in agonizing uncertainty.
The missing 49-year-old was working as a Globacom rollout manager when gunmen struck. He was on a routine site-acquisition assignment in the South-East region alongside two foreign colleagues when ambushed.
Suspicious Phone Calls After Being Abducted in Imo State
Mrs Adetona first realised something was terribly wrong when she dialled her husband’s number around 9:00 p.m. on the night of the attack. An unfamiliar voice answered the telephone call.
Instead of allowing her to speak with her husband, the unknown male hurled insults down the receiver and abruptly disconnected the line. Concerned, Mrs Adetona reached out to her husband’s housemate in Imo State, who confirmed that he had also lost contact with him.
When she dialled her husband’s phone again, the truth emerged.
“It was then he told me straight that your husband was kidnapped,” she recalled.
The captors demanded N1 million before they would allow her to speak with her husband. However, when she alerted corporate headquarters, company officials instructed her not to pay or negotiate directly. They assured the family that corporate security teams would handle the situation.
“On contacting Globacom, they advised her not to contact the kidnapper because the company would handle the situation,” she explained.
Abandoned Telcom Worker and Disparate Fates
The family later discovered a troubling disparity in how the situation was handled. While the company secured the release of the two foreign nationals shortly after the kidnapping, the Nigerian telcom worker remained in captivity.
Despite initial assurances that Mr Adetona would return within days, weeks turned into months with no tangible progress.
“It happened on a Tuesday, May 6. All through Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, they were saying they were bringing him,” Mrs Adetona stated.
Driven by desperation, she travelled between Lagos and Imo State to seek concrete answers from both company directors and Nigerian security agencies, including the police and the Department of State Services (DSS). Each visit yielded the same scripted response: investigations were ongoing.
“From May, June, July, August, September, and November, at the end of the day, they couldn’t tell us anything. They were just going in and out of the offices when we visited the Globacom Lagos office,” she lamented.
Tragic Toll on the Family of the Globacom Rollout Manager
The prolonged absence of the Globacom rollout manager has devastated his household. To protect their young children from emotional trauma, Mrs Adetona has repeatedly told them that their father is simply away on an extended work trip.
“But it’s been over a year now. You know, to keep the children wondering, when is our daddy coming back?” she asked.
The tragedy has claimed lives beyond the immediate household. On April 6, 2026, Mr Adetona’s father passed away, unable to cope with the prolonged agony and uncertainty surrounding his son’s fate.
Financial distress has compounded the family’s grief. As the primary breadwinner, Mr Adetona supported both his immediate household and his aging parents. The family has relied heavily on donations from friends, relatives, and their church congregation to survive.
Following a public broadcast on Agidigbo Radio in August 2025, company representatives visited the family and began depositing Mr Adetona’s salary into his wife’s bank account starting in September 2025. However, communication regarding his actual whereabouts remains non-existent.
Appeals to Nigerian Security Agencies and Corporate Chiefs
Legal counsel engaged by the family has sent four official letters to company executives demanding clarification, all of which have gone unanswered.
“We are being tossed here and there; if the expatriates have been released, where is my husband?” Mrs Adetona asked.
She strongly rejected unverified claims that her husband may have been killed during or after the abduction. She noted that when family members inspected the vehicle recovered from the scene, there were no physical signs of violence.
“There was no drop of blood like this in the vehicle. So how could you tell me he must have been shot?” she questioned.
Mrs Adetona continues to demand full transparency and urgent intervention from both the company and Nigerian security agencies.
“Globacom should produce my husband. At least the expatriates involved in the incident have been rescued. The company didn’t even allow us to talk to the expatriates to know what happened. They are not Nigerians. My husband is a Nigerian. Why are they not looking for him? Why are they not doing anything about it?”
