Eight-Year-Old Found After One Year Of Abduction

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has successfully rescued an eight-year-old boy, Divine Ibanga, who had been missing for over a year.

The boy was reunited with his parents after being abducted in Port Harcourt on September 1, 2023.

The rescue operation was carried out by NAPTIP’s Abuja office, which tracked the boy down and sent him to the Uyo zonal command for further investigation and to locate his biological parents.

Mr. Emmanuel Awhen, the Uyo Zonal Commander for NAPTIP, confirmed the rescue in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday.

According to Awhen, Divine was playing with his elder brother in their compound when a visitor arrived and offered the older sibling N200 to buy biscuits.

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While the elder brother was away, the visitor abducted Divine.

The incident occurred while Divine’s mother, Mrs. Comfort Ibanga, was away at the market.

Awhen explained, “The boy, Divine, was rescued by NAPTIP Headquarters in Abuja and then sent to us, where we were able to put him on television and social media. We managed to locate the parents, who came in from Port Harcourt, and we decided to reunite the child with them.”

Divine’s mother, Mrs. Comfort Ibanga, expressed her deep gratitude for the boy’s return, thanking both God and NAPTIP for bringing her son home.

Awhen also raised concerns over the increasing incidents of child abduction, urging parents to be more vigilant as some perpetrators are even close neighbors or friends.