Only One Leg Recovered: Family Rejects ‘Accident’ Claim as Police Probe Woman Missing After Visit to Boyfriend

Three months after 25-year-old Comfort Uwakwe left her Lagos residence to visit her boyfriend in Epe, her family remains without answers, as conflicting claims and unresolved questions trail her disappearance.

Comfort, a native of Owalla Autonomous Community in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State, was last heard from on October 25, 2025. Since then, her whereabouts have remained unknown. An alleged confession by her boyfriend and the recovery of a severed leg said to be linked to the case have only deepened the uncertainty.

Concerned by what they describe as gaps in the investigation, the Owalla Town Development Union (OTDU), Lagos branch, has brought the matter to public attention, calling on security agencies to pursue the case with transparency and diligence.

According to the family, Comfort, who lived at 1, Olusegun Close, off Eliasau Street, Mafolokun, Oshodi, travelled to Epe on October 25 to visit Olajide Akinshola. On arrival, she reportedly called a friend, Ifeoma, to confirm she had reached Epe safely and had met the person she intended to see.

Later that night, at about 10:08 p.m., Comfort allegedly made a distress call to the same friend, stating that she had been locked in a room and feared for her safety. Her phone went off shortly after the call. That was the last contact anyone had with her.

On October 27, the family reported her missing at Makinde Police Station in Oshodi. They were advised to proceed to Epe Police Station, as Comfort was last seen there. At Epe, the family said they were referred back to Makinde Police Station, where investigations eventually began on October 28.

Nearly a month later, on November 26, Olajide Akinshola was arrested in Epe and taken to Makinde Police Station. Two days later, he was transferred to the Lagos State Police Command Special Squad in Ikeja as a suspect.

Family members and community leaders said the suspect admitted to meeting Comfort in Epe on the day she was last heard from. He allegedly told investigators that they drank together and that she became tipsy, after which he locked her in a hotel room. He further claimed that she later had an accident on the Epe highway, where a trailer allegedly crushed her.

According to the family, the suspect later led police officers to an alleged accident scene, where a severed leg was recovered about a month after the supposed incident. The leg was presented as the only remain believed to be linked to Comfort.

The family, however, rejected the claim immediately.

“When we saw the picture of the leg, we insisted it was not Comfort’s,” a family source said. The police reportedly requested an autopsy and DNA test, asking the family to bear the cost.

In a statement signed by the President of OTDU, Mr. Chiedozie Nzeh, the union raised several concerns about the investigation.

“Whose leg was recovered? If it truly belonged to Comfort, where are the other parts of her body?” the statement asked. It also questioned how she could have left a locked hotel room to reach a highway, what hotel staff reported to investigators, whether there was evidence of forced exit, and why other possibilities, including foul play, were not being fully examined.

The group further queried how a severed leg could remain at an accident scene for weeks without significant decomposition.

“These questions require clear answers for justice to be served,” the statement said.

As investigations continue, Comfort’s family says it is still searching for the truth behind her disappearance and urging authorities to pursue the case without assumptions.