He left Abeokuta with nothing but hope.
Like many young Nigerians searching for a better life, he came to Lagos to hustle and survive. With no family, no money, and nowhere to sleep, he found refuge in a church where he spent his nights praying that life would someday get better.
Then one day, a phone went missing.
Without evidence, without investigation, fingers pointed at him. He was arrested, beaten, and taken away. His phone was seized at the police station, cutting off the only connection he had to his family.
And just like that, he disappeared.
Days became months. Months became years.
Inside Kirikiri Medium Custodial Center, he watched life move on without him. No visitors. No calls. No family. Nobody knew where he was.
Back home in Abeokuta, his parents searched endlessly. They looked everywhere they could. Eventually, after years of silence, the family accepted the pain no parent should ever have to accept, they believed their son was dead.
They even performed a mock burial for him.
But somewhere deep inside, his mother refused to let go.
While others mourned him, she held onto hope. She began a 70-day fast, praying to God that her son was still alive somewhere.
On the 69th day of that fast, everything changed.
When we met him in Kirikiri, he shared his father’s address with us. We travelled to Abeokuta and found his family. The moment his father saw us and heard his son’s name, emotions broke loose. Shock. Tears. Disbelief.
Then we traced his mother all the way to Zaria.
The phone call that followed is one we will never forget.
“Your son is alive.”
Those words shattered years of grief.
We reunited the family at Kirikiri. The moment mother and son saw each other again after eight painful years, there were no words strong enough for the tears that filled the room.
A son they buried in their hearts was standing before them alive.
We took up his case legally, fought for his freedom, and after eight years in incarceration, he finally walked out free and reunited with his family once again.
