Missing Vanguard Reporter Found Dead 29 Days Later in Abuja

Abuja based Vanguard reporter, Tordue Henry Salem, has been found dead 29 days after he went missing in Abuja.

Vanguard confirmed his death on Thursday, but details of the circumstances surrounding the recovery of his remains are still sketchy as at the time of this report.

According to reports Salem who was covering the House of Representatives, was last seen between the hours of 8 and 9 pm on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, after he closed from work.

He was said to have alighted from a cab at Total filling station, close to the Force headquarters, and headed for B.J’s garden, in the company of a female relative.

Thereafter, he reportedly flagged a cab for the lady who left before him, informing her that he was going to Area 8, Garki. But he was never seen until his remains were recovered on Thursday.

An alarm on his mysterious disappearance was raised the next day, from where the matter was directed to the Intelligence Response Team , IRT on October 16, 2021.

Efforts to locate his whereabouts since then by his colleagues, relatives and security operatives have proved abortive.

Salem’s sister Jessica revealed that his daughter had been asking why her father is not calling to talk to her.

The campaign for his release generated a huge attention but one of the most touching part was the letter his daughter wrote to him two weeks after his departure.

In the letter reproduced by the deceased’s sister, the daughter wrote, “Dear Daddy, I miss you, I love you everyday. Love. Avaana.”

On Monday, October 25, members of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) stormed the Nigeria Police Force’s headquarters in Abuja to protest over the missing reporter.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday, November 9, asked security agencies to investigate the circumstances that led to the disappearance of the journalist and do everything within its means to secure his release.

According to Vanguard, some arrests were reportedly made. Among them was that of a man who was picked for attempting to extort Salem’s family.

The suspect identified as Prince Enyenihi, 25, contacted Mrs Salem on October 26, 2021, via a text message with a concealed number, requesting for N100 million ransom, to be paid as ransom for her husband’s release.

Part of the text message read: “if you don’t pay, Tordue will be killed in seven days. For more information, call this number”. The text message also contained an account number.