Missing People : When Social Media Becomes Handy Search Tool

Liengu Louise, 23, a mother and female student of University of Buea was abducted in Yaounde on February 2, 2023 soon after arriving from Buea. She had come to attend a visa interview in the United States of America embassy. Soon after arrival in town, Louise’s uncle in Yaounde with whom she was to stay was contacted by the kidnappers. Who demanded a ransom of over Two Million FCFA. Which was raised and paid in instalments after a few days. Only for the phone number of the kidnappers to go dead after collecting the ransom.
Following endless days of waiting and hoping in vain for news of Louise, the uncle and wife finally resorted to social media. Announcing on WhatsApp that Liengu Louise went missing in Yaounde. The announcement was accompanied by Louise’s picture and the phone numbers of the uncle and wife. For any information on her whereabouts. However, it was not until six weeks later that Liengu’s corpse was traced to the mortuary of the Yaounde Central Hospital. Thanks to one of the security officers who picked up the late student’s body from Yaounde’s Sofavinc neighbourhood and took it to the mortuary. He called the family after seeing the WhatsApp announcement and recognizing Louise’s picture. And advised them to check with the mortuary of Yaounde Central Hospital.  
In a similar vein, both traditional media and social media platforms were agog in August 2024 with news of three-day-old baby Ndifo Kessia Zaria who went missing from the maternity of Baptist Hospital Ekoumdoum, Yaounde. The baby was rescued three days later in the neighbourhood of Nkoabang, Yaounde - about 5 km from where she was stolen. 
Thanks to social media, a vigilant female nurse in a private clinic in Nkoabang located the stolen baby in the care of the new “mother” who came to consult her. The nurse’s prompt report to the authorities led to ...