A 10-month search for two missing children has come to a heartwarming conclusion for Agnes Forte, a visually impaired mother, who was reunited with her two-year-old daughter, Excel, and her step-sister, Joy, after their mysterious disappearance last November. The children were found at an orphanage in Lagos, bringing a close to the family’s emotional ordeal.
The two girls went missing on November 28, 2023, while playing near their home in Akowonjo, Lagos State. According to Agnes, the last time she heard their voices was when they were playing in the corridor of their apartment. After a brief period of silence, she realized the children were gone. Despite immediate efforts by the family and police to locate the girls, their whereabouts remained unknown for months.
In a recent update, Agnes confirmed that both children were discovered at an orphanage in the Bariga district of Lagos. “We had been searching tirelessly since they went missing. It wasn’t until my mother-in-law received a call from someone at the orphanage that we learned where they were,” Agnes said.
Agnes’ husband, John, provided more details about the children’s journey. He explained that the girls were found wandering the streets near Ago Palace Way by a police officer, who took them to a welfare center before they were transferred to the orphanage. However, Joy, who is 13 years old, initially withheld information about her background. It wasn’t until three months ago that she finally revealed details about their family, allowing the orphanage to contact their grandmother.
John expressed relief but also frustration over the lengthy process of securing the children’s release. “It took me weeks to complete all the necessary paperwork, including obtaining a court order, to bring them home,” he said.
When asked about Joy’s reasons for leaving with her younger sister, John said she had not disclosed much. “She hasn’t told us why she did what she did. We suspected she might have been in contact with someone, but she insists she was only talking to her grandmother,” he added.
Cases of missing persons are common in Nigeria, a country with over 220 million people but lacking an official missing persons database. Independent non-governmental organizations have documented numerous disappearances. Since June 2019, 110 people have been reported missing, with 63 found alive and 12 found dead.
As the family celebrates the safe return of their daughters, the incident highlights the broader challenges facing Nigeria in addressing missing person cases and ensuring timely and effective interventions.
