The family of a 26-year-old Nigerian woman, Chukwunyere Esther Chinaza, has raised the alarm over her disappearance after she returned to Nigeria from Dubai in June 2026.
Chinaza, who is from Imo State, has not been seen since June 22, after reportedly returning to Lagos alongside a male friend based in South Africa.
Her family told SaharaReporters that they have been unable to establish whether she is alive or dead, despite efforts to trace her whereabouts.
The Nigeria Police Force has declared Chinaza missing and issued a Special Police Gazette Bulletin in connection with a case of conspiracy and murder.
According to the police bulletin, the woman was allegedly declared missing around the Shoreline axis of Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos State.
The police said she was last seen on June 22, 2026, after returning from Dubai with her male friend.
The bulletin described Chinaza as an Igbo woman, aged 26, fair-skinned and of tall/average height. It stated that her last known address was Horizon Estate, Ikate, Lagos State.
The police urged anyone with information about her whereabouts, whether dead or alive, to report to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, Lagos.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, one of Chinaza’s brothers said the family became increasingly concerned after she disappeared and subsequent investigations allegedly linked some individuals to the incident.
“My sister’s name is Chukwunyere Esther Chinaza from Imo State. The guy lured my sister from Dubai to Lagos here on June 18. From June 21, she got missing up to now,” he said.
“We have not seen her or her body.”
The brother said the family later discovered that one of the men allegedly connected to the incident had reported himself at the Panti police station.
He alleged that the man initially gave the police and family members an account of being attacked by his friends, but said the family had become dissatisfied with the explanations surrounding Chinaza’s disappearance.
According to him, the family is also concerned about the pace of the investigation and wants the police to intensify efforts to locate Chinaza and establish what happened to her.
“We are not relying on those police people on their own investigation. It’s getting to too much. Nothing has been done. No arrest or nothing about those two guys,” he said.
He added that the family’s major concern remained locating Chinaza.
“The only problem here is that I’m not seeing my sister. I’m not seeing her corpse or whether dead or alive. That is the problem,” he said.
The Nigeria Police Force has separately declared two men, Ajibola Obateru and Folawiyo Balogun Alagbado, wanted in connection with the alleged conspiracy and murder case.
In the bulletin declaring Obateru wanted, the police alleged that he conspired with others to attack Chinaza, made away with her body and stole her personal belongings.
The police said the alleged crime occurred at the Shoreline axis of Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Obateru was described as a 33-year-old Yoruba man, about 5.9 feet tall, thin, fair-skinned and with an oval face. His last known address was listed as Ajoda New Town, Ibadan, Oyo State.
In a separate bulletin, the police declared Alagbado wanted over the same case.
The police alleged that Alagbado conspired with others to attack Chinaza, allegedly killed her and moved her body to an unknown location. The police also alleged that her belongings were taken by the suspects.
Alagbado was described as a 32-year-old Yoruba man of average height with a dark complexion. His last known address was also listed as Ajoda New Town, Ibadan, Oyo State.
SaharaReporters also learnt that another suspect identified as Hakeem is currently in police custody at the SCID, Panti, in connection with the case.
The circumstances surrounding Chinaza’s disappearance and the allegations against the suspects remain under police investigation.
The police have urged members of the public who may have information about the whereabouts of the missing woman or the wanted suspects to contact the SCID, Panti, or the nearest police station.
The family, meanwhile, continues to await information on Chinaza’s whereabouts and is calling for intensified efforts to determine what happened to her.