A decade-plus later, Edo family's quest to find lost loved one remains ongoing

Gombe correspondent Chima Azubuike has investigated the disappearance of Anthony Isabor, who allegedly left Nigeria for Belgium in search of a better life, after receiving persistent calls from family members seeking assistance.

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Anthony Isabor's family has been left in the dark for 11 years and three months, with his brother Sunday Joseph Isabor revealing that he was working as a teacher at a Nursery and Primary School before he travelled.

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Sunday Joseph Isabor has petitioned the Belgium embassy in Abuja, but they did not acknowledge his letter, and he also got in touch with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, but they couldn't help the situation.

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The family informed NAPTIP about the visit to Nigeria of the suspect involved in Anthony's disappearance case, who came for her younger brother's wedding in May last year, but no action was taken.

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Sunday Joseph Isabor expressed his distress, stating that his family is extremely traumatised, especially since June 9 was Anthony's birthday, and they have not heard from him again, leaving them in uncertainty.

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Sunday described Anthony as someone always seeking better opportunities to improve the family's fortunes, and he is originally a native of Orhiomnwon Local Government Area of Edo State, where he allegedly left Nigeria on March 5, 2015, through arrangements made by his cousin, Doris Usiagwu.

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Anthony contacted their mother immediately after arriving abroad, but that call was to be the last, as he had remained incommunicado ever since, prompting Sunday to report the case to NAPTIP on March 10, 2022.

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Sunday also petitioned the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Nigerian Ambassador to Belgium, but little progress had been made, leaving his family unable to endure the silence.

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Sunday tried to attract the attention of notable Nigerians, including ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and ex-Chief of Army Staff, Gen Theophilus Danjuma, but was denied entry by his security personnel, although he met with Gen Oladipo Diya shortly before he died.

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Ex-Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, made laudable efforts to resolve the issue, but unfortunately, these efforts came late, and Sunday is now appealing to President Bola Tinubu and his wife, Oluremi, to come to the rescue of his family.

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Sunday also urged the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, the Interpol, international organisations, and Nigerians in the diaspora to intervene and help uncover Anthony's whereabouts, and he alleged that Doris Usiagwu was involved in human trafficking.

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Efforts to reach Doris Usiagwu for comments proved unsuccessful, as calls and text messages sent to her phone went unanswered, and Arewa PUNCH's further investigations revealed conflicting information.

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Ambassador Francis Enya, a former Director of Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, acknowledged being familiar with the matter but declined to disclose details, stating that the family should follow due process through official channels.

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Anthony's uncle, Uche Benedict Obadiemu, confirmed that the family had been in distress for the past decade, and they appeal to authorities to help them find their son, who called his mother and the lady he intended to marry after arriving abroad, but that was the last time they heard from him.

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The Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, advised the family to restart the process by providing Anthony's contact details, and she noted that NAPTIP does not maintain offices outside Nigeria.

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For the Isabor family, the search continues, as they maintain that a human being cannot just disappear, and Sunday vowed to keep searching until they know the truth.