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![Nigerian police officers (image used for illustration) [Guardian]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20width%3D'100'%20height%3D'100'%20data-ring-placeholder%3D'1'%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E "Nigerian police officers (image used for illustration) [Guardian]")
Excel's mother, Agnes, who is visually impaired, reported her daughter’s disappearance after losing track of Excel and her 13-year-old step-sister, Joy, while they were playing in the corridor of their Akowonjo home in Lagos.
Agnes described the distressing moment she realised the girls were no longer in earshot.
"I was in the room, and suddenly I couldn’t hear their voices anymore. We searched everywhere but couldn’t find them," she said.
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The search continued without success until Agnes’s mother-in-law received a call from an orphanage in Bariga. The orphanage had discovered Excel and Joy wandering in the Ago Palace Way area.
According to Agnes, “We kept searching tirelessly until my mother-in-law informed us that the children were at the orphanage. They called us back to confirm their presence.”
John, the children’s father, recounted the series of events that led to their recovery.
“A police officer found them wandering and took them to the Alakara Police Station. From there, they were transferred to the orphanage," he explained.
John noted that Joy initially withheld information about their background. “When I visited the orphanage, they told me Joy hadn’t disclosed much about herself or her family until recently, when she finally gave them my contact information.”
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John faced additional delays in retrieving the children due to the required legal procedures, including securing a court order for custody. However, despite the repeated attempts, Joy has not provided a clear reason for her actions.
