LAGOS SEPTEMBER 20TH (URHOBOTODAY)-These are dark and painful days for the people of Agbarho community in Ughelli North, Delta State. Since December 2024, the town has been gripped by fear and heartbreak, with no fewer than 30 children vanishing without a trace. What was once a peaceful community is now overshadowed by the anguish of parents searching for answers, and the silence that follows each disappearance.

The once peaceful town of Agbarho, a chilling silence now trails the laughter of children. What was once the sound of youthful joy has been replaced by cries of anguish and fear.

Children, mostly between the ages of three and ten, have vanished without a trace in the community under mysterious circumstances. Some left for school and never returned, while others disappeared while playing right in front of their homes.

Despite numerous complaints to security agencies and local authorities, there had been no meaningful updates or recoveries until about three months ago, fueling deep frustration among residents. The most disturbing part is that many parents now fear sending their children to school alone, worried they could be kidnapped. Distrust among neighbours has spread, and victims continue to count their losses.

In a bid to express their anguish, residents, particularly devastated women, took to the streets in July 2025 to protest the mysterious disappearances. Dressed in black, they marched through major streets in Agbarho, chanting sorrowful songs and carrying placards with messages like: “Stop Stealing Our Children,” “Where Are Our Kids?” and “We Want Justice,” among others.

This disturbing trend, beyond the street walk held in July 2025, sparked a fresh protest on September 16, forcing women to carry placards, suspend commercial activities, and take to the streets in defiance.

The protest, which erupted on Tuesday, marks a boiling point for a community gripped by fear and frustration. With reports of fresh abductions just a day earlier, including that of a prominent local leader’s child,  residents say they can no longer endure the trauma in silence.

Major roads and key business areas were brought to a standstill as demonstrators blocked the popular Five Junction, chanted solidarity songs, and wept openly. Many clutched faded photographs of missing children, some barely old enough to speak when they disappeared. The emotional weight of the protest underscored not just grief, but a desperate plea for urgent intervention.

Anger also turned toward local institutions as protesters marched to the palace of the Osuvie of Agbarho Kingdom and the town’s police station, demanding accountability and action. They accused authorities of negligence and a lack of transparency, stating that no substantial efforts had been made to investigate the disappearances or protect the remaining children.

“We can’t sleep. We can’t eat. Our children are not safe. What do you expect us to do? One mother cried out, her voice cracking under the weight of months of despair.

The women vowed to continue their protest until their children are found, or until someone is held responsible for their loss.

The women condemned the push for get-rich-quick syndrome, which has led so many youths into committing blood rituals, yahoo yahoo (Advance Fee Fraud 419), kidnapping, armed robbery, and other social vices. Unfortunately, when the first case of child disappearance and abduction took place in December 2024, as reported by one of the affected mothers during a community meeting, nothing tangible was done by the authorities meant to secure life and property. They, therefore, agreed to fight their case, even though armless.

As social activities were getting paralysed in the community and tension was rising, the Ovie of Agbarho Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Ogurimerime Okorefe I, condemned the wave of child disappearances, describing it as “a declaration of war against the people.”

The Osuvie of Agbarho Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Sampson Ogugu I, said he had, some months ago, demanded the removal of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Agbarho Divisional Police Headquarters over the spate of insecurity in the town, but that the menace persisted.

Residents, Mrs. Itohan Orugbo and Mrs. Efe Okoro, said that the government and security forces have failed them.”Nobody is safe anymore. If our children were the children of senators or top politicians, would they still be missing? We are living in fear every day,” they asked furiously.

The monarch called on security agencies to “act swiftly or risk the total breakdown of law and order in the community. Insecurity is spreading across Delta, the Agbarho incident is not isolated.” He also urged community vigilantes to increase surveillance in all quarters of Agbarho and advised parents to monitor their children closely.

As if the monarch was vindicated, two other children were stolen last Sunday and Monday when school resumed for the new academic session. The next Tuesday, another round of protest erupted. Protesters blocked major roads and the popular Five Junction in Agbarho town over the continued abduction and questionable disappearance of children.

The incident, according to the victim’s mother, Favour Agege, was pathetic. She described the circumstances of the disappearance of her four-year-old son, Divine Agege, as agonizing. Also, Elisha Agege, the father, narrated that Divine was stolen last Sunday afternoon after they came back from church.

“Divine disappeared around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday after we came back from the church. We left him with his other sisters at home while we took one to a nearby hairdresser to prepare her hair for school resumption the next day. The next thing we heard was that Divine had disappeared.

“Till today we don’t have the traces. Children have been missing in the town and that was what informed the protest on Tuesday. They should bring him back immediately. If you look at the family now, it is seriously telling on us. Others cannot go to school. What is meant to feed them is what we have been spending to look for Divine without success,” he lamented.

Corroborating, his wife, Mrs. Favour Agege, full of depression, pleaded for mercy over Divine, promising to let go of the abductors if they could release her son unhurt.

“It is not easy to give birth; we need him back immediately. I gave birth to him through cesarean operation after staying in the hospital for five days. The abductors should consider my pains and suffering over him.”

Before now, the series of child disappearances had been raising fresh security concerns and panic amongst parents. No wonder the protesters, comprising residents and the families of victims, barricaded major roads and prevented vehicular movement while businesses and offices were locked for several hours in the town.

The protesters, who also stormed the Agbarho police station, vowed to continue the protest until the missing children, especially the one abducted last Monday who was the child of a key community leader, were rescued from their abductors.

Although the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the children remain unclear, SP Bright Edafe, Police public relations officer (PPRO) of Delta Command, when contacted, promised the command is tackling the matter.

Edafe gave an instance of child stealing when two women embarked on a business trip recently from Koko to Warri in Delta State. While they were on their way, one drugged the other via a juice.

“She slept off and the suspect made away with her two-month-old baby boy. Acting on this information, the DPO Ekpan Police Station embarked on an intelligence-led investigation, trailed and arrested the suspect, Mrs. Joy Temitope Oyetimi, ‘f’ aged 49 years.

She said After discreet interrogation, the suspect stated that indeed she was the one who stole the baby. The baby, who is now five months old, has been rescued and handed over to his parent while the suspect is in custody and investigation is ongoing.”

The protesters, however, called on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the Delta State Police Command to urgently address the ugly trend, alleging that tens of children had reportedly been declared missing or abducted in the last one year from the town. One of the protesters, Aghogho Imoni, accused security agencies in the town of paying lip service to the constant disappearance of children in various parts of the city, alleging that some of the missing victims are yet to be found.

A woman, Princess Akpo, said parents were living in fear following the questionable disappearances, adding that children are abducted in the community every week, and lamented the inaction of the state government and security agencies. She disclosed that some children, including a child of one of the community leaders, had been missing after they left for school on Monday.

To curtail the stealing, the council chairman, Ughelli North local government council, Olorogun Jaro Egbo, said he banned the activities of iron scavengers, popularly known as “Iron Condemned,” in the Agbarho Kingdom and set up an investigative committee to carry out a proper investigation into the matter.

“I gave the order following the report of the alleged suspected scavenger who was caught in the process of kidnapping a child in the kingdom. I also warned parents to condemn the push for get-rich-quick syndrome, which has led so many youths into committing blood rituals, yahoo yahoo (Advance Fee Fraud 419), kidnapping, armed robbery, and other social vices.

“Until they are properly profiled in the kingdom, any scavenger caught in Agbarho should be arrested by security agencies to face the full weight of the law.” Egbo disclosed that the purpose of the meeting was to hear directly from the people on the alleged missing children in Agbarho communities.

The investigative team is headed by ACP Adebayo, Area Commander of Ughelli Area, to find a lasting solution to the problem and to avert future recurrence. “We have been able to confirm seven of the stolen children. Though it’s a sad one to us, we will ensure we do our best to go in search of them and put a measure in place to avert future reoccurrence. I have charged the security agencies to conduct proper investigations to unearth those seven children that are missing. We have taken their photographs, names of the children, and that of their parents.

“We have supported one of the mothers who is still in school to go back and study and also given two other affected mothers palliatives for them to start up a business of their own, so they can take care of themselves and their children, while the government and the security agencies hit the ground running in search of the children,” Egbo assured.

Speaking on the development, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Kingsley Emu, reminded that laws on the Action Plan for the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) are punitive and severe on perpetrators in order to fight and curtail the menace.

He underscored the debilitating nature and devastating effect of GBV as a global scourge. To fight the scourge from the standpoint of the law, acknowledging the pain of women in this whole GBV saga, he also noted that men too go through much more violence, but mostly in silence.

Also, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, Hon. Pat Ajudua, said,

“As we are all aware, GBV is a global pandemic, but here in Delta State, we are collectively saying ‘No more silence. No more stigma. No more impunity.’ We are standing together to say that enough is enough,” she affirmed.

Also, the Ruby Awareness Initiative Foundation (RAIF), a non-profit organisation, said it was ready to support and groom the boy and girl child.

Founder of the RAIF, Miss Omonigho Oborevwori, emphasised the foundation’s mission of raising a generation of boys who are seen, heard, supported, not afraid to feel, learn, and lead.

The Commander of 63 Brigade and Sector 1 Joint Task Force, Operation DELTA SAFE, Brigadier General M.A. Shonibare, assured residents that the Army remains committed to protecting lives and maintaining peace across Delta State and its surrounding areas.

While calling for growing trust between the Army and local people in the fight against criminality, he said the army is determined to act quickly and effectively against security threats, giving an instance of how the Nigerian Army recently successfully rescued a senior officer, Major M.D. Josiah, who was abducted by gunmen in Bomadi, Delta State

Meanwhile, the director -general of Delta State Security, (DSS), Hon. David Tonwe,, who confirmed the issue, called for calm in the community, saying that the incident is currently under investigation . He promised that further updates would be communicated as situation unfolds.

On their part, the leadership of Agbarho women, along with other representatives from the Agbarho communities, the Agbarho Royal Palace, and the Agbarho Descendants Union, met with the Ughelli Police Area Commander and Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) from all divisions within the local government

agreed to adopt aggressive measures to tackle the rising issue of child stealing in the area.

Also present were personnel from the Nigerian Army, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), local vigilante groups, and other security agencies.

Leadership

For media advert placement, events coverage, media consultancy, placement of publications and further inquiries please WhatsApp 2348023773039 or email: labakevwe@yahoo.com