You all remember Cynthia, the lady i wrote about some
days ago who's been missing since july 24th
(If you missed it, see it Here) It seems as though every week, there is
a new search within the Nigerian social media sphere for a missing person.
Pretty girls, handsome men – people like you and me, the new Nigerian
generation – young, educated, cosmopolitan and connected by the thread of
social media – from BBM to Twitter and the almighty Facebook.
Last week, Cynthia Udoka Osokogu‘s
photograph was all over the internet. She had been missing since late
July 2012, however, the news became viral just a few days ago. We saw
Cynthia’s photo and prayed that like many others we would hear news that
she had been found – alive and well. It was not to be. She is
dead. There is a lot of speculation about what happened to Cynthia and
lack of information leads to rumours and falsities. No one will know
ever know the full story except Cynthia but here is what we can tell
you....Continue.
What Happened to Cynthia?
24 Year Old Cynthia Osokogu left Abuja in late July 2012 (According to
reports, on the 22nd of July 2012). Like many enterprising young people,
the post-graduate student of Nasarawa State University was a clothing
retailer and had travelled to Lagos to purchase new stock.
Cynthia had been chatting with some new “friends” on Facebook for a few
months. In the course of their conversations, they developed a
friendship and a level of trust. These young men were also university
students, they seemed normal and promised to host Cynthia when she came
to Lagos.
There is speculation that they paid for her plane ticket and promised to
pay for her hotel as well. Only Cynthia knows if this is true. Whatever
the truth is, Cynthia trusted her new friends and had no idea that they
had sinister plans.
What we know is that, these 2 young men picked Cynthia up from the
airport in Lagos and drove her to a hotel in Festac. At the hotel, they
tied her up, robbed her of all the money she brought to shop for her
business and strangled her to death. They then left the hotel and
quickly deleted her from their facebook friend list to remove any trace
of their connection.
The hotel found her body and since her ID cards and mobile phone had
been stolen, they could not identify her or call friends and family. Her
body was deposited in a morgue in Lagos. All this time, her family and
friends were praying for her safe return.
How the Killers Were Caught
At some point, one of the culprits accidentally answered Cynthia’s phone
and the call was traced to Festac. Therefore, her missing person’s
police report was submitted to the Area E Command in Festac. This
enabled her family to find her body in the morgue and also led them to
the hotel.
Using CCTV from the hotel, the killers were identified. According to
reports, these two young men are university students who have now
confessed that they killed Cynthia and she is their sixth victim – the
gang reportedly specializes in luring unsuspecting young women, robbing
them of their possessions before killing them. Though there is
speculation that their motive was ritualistic, it appears that it was
greed and their main goal was to rob and kill. The pharmacist who
supplied the drugs used on Cynthia and hotel staff have also been
arrested. According to Police spokesperson Ngozi Braide, “Six people were arrested on Sunday over the incident and investigations are ongoing”.
What we can learn from this
We have seen so many online comments judging Cynthia. This could have
happened to anyone. With social media, this false sense of comfort and
trust can be very misleading. We know couples who met on Facebook or BBM
groups and are still together. If you ask them if they took security
measures to protect themselves when they first met, many will confess
that they did not. We hear of friendships built on twitter and BBM,
where the first meeting was in the home of one of the friends. The truth
is anything can happen. You have to be savvy and wise.
Cynthia
was the only daughter and the last born of her parents – Ret. Major
General Frank & Mrs Joy Osokogu. She was dotted on by her three
elder brothers and parents. She was vibrant and enterprising. Everyone
misses her so much! May Cynthia’s gentle soul rest in peace.
Tribute to Cynthia by her best friend, Aishatu Ene Ella
In the last few days I have seen had my heart torn, stripped and broken
in pieces first by the disappearance and death of my Dearest friend and
secondly by the wickedness exhibited by Nigerians, passing judgment on
someone they never knew or met.
When she was officially declared meeting we put up a number online so
people with information can call and help out, of over 500 calls we
received in 3 days, only 2 of those calls were from people who actually
helped with information. One was my dear friend Nuhu Kwajafa, the other
was the Area Commander who called to inform us of the arrest of the
people. The others were heartbreaking to say this least, I wondered how
her mother would have coped if she had to deal with silliness, pettiness
and undeserved hate from strangers, who just took one look at a lady
and decided to judge her based on her looks.
When the sad news of her death broke, I made a comment and said I hope
“all those who have insisted she was with a man would have their answer
now and let her rest in peace” how wrong I was, They wouldn’t rest, they
would only go back and manufacture a more hurtful and painful story,
formulate more rumors and pass it around as facts, hmmm it is well. I
have no comments for hateful people, I just want to share with you the
real Cynthia, the Cynthia we knew not the one who hateful people have
created in the last few days.
Cynthia was born on 10th of November 1987 to Gen Frank and Joy – Rita
Nkem Osokogu, Udoka as her Mother named her, even as a baby was a
uniting factor in her family. Her Mother had 3 boys before her, she was
the last baby and only girl.
Her Parents had settled in Jos where we were and still neighbors, We
became friends because in those days there were only few houses in the
area. I was the last child and so didn’t have a lot of playmates my age,
her brothers were my mates and Cynthia as the only girl didn’t have
much friends around the neighborhood either so she tagged along when we
had our “adventures” and “yawo”.
Cynthia the Model and Business Woman
2004 was one of the hardest years for the Family I was raised with in
Jos, Cynthia and her Mom was with me all the way. They were there to
comfort, assist, cook etc.
She was a tall beautiful and slender girl, we always teased her because
even at 13 she was taller than me and the same height with her brothers,
she was a tomboy all the way. Determined, stubborn and focused. As she
grew into her height Her Mum and I playful suggest she try modeling
because of her structure, Cynthia took it seriously, even though her
major focus was education she gave modeling a trial and did quiet well
as a model.
In 2007, she got her first major run way job and I will never forget the
day she called me from Lagos after she had been paid, she said she
wouldn’t want to waste the money and would buy clothes and bring to
school to sell. The first badge of clothes never made it to keffi as
industrious Cynthia who staying with her brother during her visit at
Airforce Quarters sold the clothes to her brother, his colleagues and
their friends, she told me she made 3 times her capital and immediately
re-invested, bought more stock, came to Keffi and rented a shop, that
was the birth of her Baby: “Dresscode”.
I remember I bought her the forms to one of the national competitions
some years ago, she passed the screening passed 2 stages and called me
one day to say she was asked to compromise to get through the next
round, I told her to withdraw and she left. That was in 2011. She never
entered any major pageant after that.
When it came to business Cynthia was midas, she knew when to make a
great sale, she was never at a loss, her business grew from strength to
strength all this while she was not even 21, @ 21 a lot of the people
who now make it a point to formulate such hateful rumors were still
struggling to buy Jamb Results.
Cynthia the Sister and Daughter
Cynthia was like the baby sister I didnt have, She was my confidant,
stylist and a great comfort. We shared a lot, tears, smiles, laughs,
joys ,sorrows and was always at my service. She was greatly involved in
charity, anytime I sent a text or posted a picture of someone needing
medical support, I could count on Cynthia as one of the first
respondents. When she was in Abuja, she would always come and volunteer,
run errands, always with a smile. When I get to Jos, she will be at the
motor park waiting, Thats if she doesnt pick me up from Abuja. Not to
forget my person Stylist, she either bought or chose most of my clothes,
most times my friend say “you look nice” i tell them “ask Cynthia oh, I
have no idea what I am wearing”. Style has never been a strong point of
mine, but if Cynthia bought it or asked me to buy it I knew it was good
and stylish
To her Mother, Cynthia was her heart. Several times I will ask Cynthia
please dont go to Jos it is volatile and she will reply me ” Mumsy is
alone at home”, or when she is in Jos and there was a fight I would call
and ask her to leave Jos and come and stay a few days with me, she will
say “I cant leave Mumsy alone here now” . That was our Cynthia, Others
first.
When it was time to serve, while others would work their service to
areas full of opportunity like Abuja, Lagos and Porthacort, Cynthia
worked her service to crisis ridden Jos to be close to her Mother, Is
that what a “runsgirl” does?
At age 24, Cynthia had a successful business, and was running a Post
Graduate Program in Public Administration, sadly people will ignore all
that and choose to believe that because she is pretty and Young she must
be a “Runsgirl”, how sad, we Judge people by our own low and shabby
standards.
She earned every kobo she had by good old hard work, Lets even forget
her Father supported her financially but that didn’t turn her to a
spoilt brat she was as determined as ever to make her own mark and earn
her own keep.
The world and people who have no standards can stand afar and Judge all
they want but we know who you are and we love you, we don’t need to
defend You My baby, just setting the records straight.
The security Situation in our country now is horrible at best, people
are kidnapped, robbed and killed everyday, why is it so hard to believe
that a young girl was killed while going to pursue her legitimate
business? If It was a man who was killed would we have come up with all
these stories? If it was an older woman or someone not so attractive
would we still? Her crime is being, young, pretty and a business woman.
Hmmm, People, Have the decency to let us mourn in peace. Please.
Source: BellaNaija
