• Says company still pays husband’s salary, seeks proof of his whereabouts
Sixteen months after her husband, Olaoluwa Adetona, a 49-year-old employee of Globacom, allegedly disappeared in Imo State, his wife, Funmi, has appealed to the telecommunications company and security agencies to intensify efforts to locate him.
Adetona, a roll-out manager in Globacom’s Roll-out Department, was allegedly abducted on May 6, 2025, while carrying out a site acquisition assignment in Imo State.
His wife, who spoke on the development, said the family had been living in uncertainty since the incident, with no direct communication from her husband and no conclusive information about his whereabouts.
Funmi said she became suspicious on the evening of May 6, 2025, when she called her husband’s phone and an unknown person answered.
According to her, the person allegedly insulted her when she requested to speak with Adetona before refusing to hand the phone over to him.
She said subsequent attempts to reach him through another telephone line failed, prompting her to contact his housemate in Imo State.
Funmi said the housemate initially told her he had also been unable to reach Adetona since morning, before she was later informed by the housemaid that he had allegedly been kidnapped.
She explained that her husband had gone out on a site acquisition assignment with two expatriates who had travelled from Lagos, adding that she was later informed that the expatriates were released while Adetona remained missing.
The development, she said, became more disturbing because she was not immediately contacted by Globacom and only began making inquiries after learning about the incident herself.
“Since that day till now, I have not spoken with my husband. I have not heard his voice or received any direct communication from him,” she said.
Funmi alleged that those who had possession of her husband’s phone later demanded N1 million before allowing her to speak with him.
She said some of his colleagues advised her against making further calls, assuring her that the company was handling the matter.
According to her, she was subsequently informed that ransom payments had been made and that her husband would soon be released, but the promised return never materialised.
She said the family was repeatedly assured between Wednesday and Friday following the incident that Adetona would soon regain his freedom.
Concerned about the lack of information, Funmi said she travelled to Lagos to meet Globacom officials, including the Head of the Roll-out Department and the company’s Chief Security Officer.
She alleged that she was initially told that some officials were unaware of the incident, but maintained that the company ought to have information concerning an employee who allegedly disappeared while performing an official assignment.
The family also travelled to Imo State, where they approached the police and sought assistance in locating Adetona.
“From May, June, July, August, September and even November, we kept hearing that they were working on it. But nobody could tell us exactly what was happening,” she said.
Funmi said the prolonged uncertainty had taken a heavy toll on the family, particularly their three children, who constantly ask about their father.
“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.
“But it is over a year now. How long do I continue telling them that? 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,” she said.
She also disclosed that the disappearance had affected Adetona’s wider family.
According to her, her father-in-law died on April 6, 2026, after reportedly struggling emotionally with the disappearance of his son.
She said the family had recently buried him, adding that Adetona’s mother had also become seriously ill and was unable to walk without assistance.
“It has been very difficult for everybody. My children, his siblings and his mother are all affected. I have to remain strong because of the children,” she said.
Funmi also questioned information allegedly given to the family concerning her husband’s vehicle.
She said the family was informed that security operatives had recovered the vehicle and that it had been shot at, raising fears that Adetona might have been killed.
However, she insisted that no evidence had been presented to the family to establish that her husband was dead.
“We saw the vehicle. There is no way somebody would be shot and there would not be blood in the vehicle. There was no drop of blood. If he is dead, give us proof. There is no proof that he is dead,” she said.
The distressed wife said her primary demand was to know what happened to her husband, insisting that she was not out to accuse anybody.
“I don’t know what is happening. Are they playing on us? They should produce my husband,” she said.
She also questioned why the two expatriates who were reportedly abducted alongside Adetona were released while her husband remained missing.
“The expatriates are out. How did they come out? Why is it my husband alone? My husband is a Nigerian. Why are they not looking for him? Why are they not doing anything?” she asked.
Funmi further disclosed that Globacom had continued paying her husband’s salary into her account since around September 2025, despite his prolonged absence.
She said the family had recently engaged a lawyer to formally demand answers from the company, adding that about four letters had so far been written to Globacom over the matter.
She alleged that earlier efforts by other lawyers to engage the company had failed to produce the desired response.
Funmi appealed to Globacom, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services and other relevant authorities to provide the family with clear information and intensify efforts to establish Adetona’s whereabouts.
“What I want is for them to bring my husband back to me. If he is alive, let them find him and bring him home. If anything has happened to him, let the family be given the truth and evidence.
“We cannot continue like this. It has been 16 months. We need to know where our husband, father and son is,” she said.
