11 years on, Edo family still searching for missing relative

Following persistent calls to Arewa PUNCH by family members seeking assistance over the disappearance of their son, Gombe correspondent Chima Azubuike investigated the disappearance of Anthony Isabor, who allegedly left Nigeria for Belgium in search of a better life.

“This June makes it 11 years and three months that Anthony Isabor has remained incommunicado. Anthony Isabor is my elder brother. He was working as a teacher at a Nursery and Primary School before he travelled.

“I have petitioned the Belgium embassy in Abuja they didn’t acknowledge my letter. I got in touch with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons several times, but they couldn’t help the situation, even after the family informed them of the visit to Nigeria of the suspect who is involved in the disappearance case of our brother and son in May last year for her younger brother’s wedding.

“We reliably monitored the suspect as she sneaked into Nigeria and I immediately alerted NAPTIP but nothing was done till she eventually left Nigeria.

“I am Mr Sunday Joseph Isabor, the younger brother to Anthony Isabor, I’m most traumatised because last week June 9, was Anthony’s birthday. My family is extremely in distress over his disappearance,” Sunday cried out.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with our correspondent, Sunday further told Arewa PUNCH “We are trapped in uncertainty with no information about whether he is alive or dead. We have not just heard from him again. That uncertainty is worse than bad news. We’re begging anyone with any useful information to kindly contact the nearest Police Station or your office,” Sunday pleaded.

He described Anthony, who was then a final-year student, as someone always seeking better opportunities to improve the family’s fortunes.

Although a native of Edo State, Sunday claims he is resident in Yola, Adamawa State, where his father served as a military personnel, adding that he and his brother Anthony, are originally natives of Orhiomnwon Local Government Area of Edo State from where the victim allegedly left Nigeria on March 5, 2015, through arrangements allegedly made by a cousin, Doris Usiagwu, who resides in Belgium.

According to his younger brother, Anthony contacted their mother immediately he arrived abroad but that call was to be the last call as he had remained incommunicado ever since.

According to the grieving brother, he narrated that he reported the case to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons on March 10, 2022, and subsequently petitioned the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Nigerian Ambassador to Belgium. He also submitted fresh petitions to successive NAPTIP leadership, but lamented that little progress had been made.

“My family can no longer endure the silence. A human being cannot just vanish. Somewhere, somehow, the truth exists,” he cried.

While narrating other moves he had made on behalf of the family to get to the root of the disappearance of his elder brother, Sunday explained how he tried to attract the attention and intervention of such notable and distinguished Nigerians as ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, and that of an ex-Chief of Army Staff, Gen (Retd) Theophilus Danjuma whose residence he claimed to have visited four times but was denied entry by his security personnel.

He also spoke on how he actually met with Gen. Oladipo Diya (shortly before he died), and the highly laudable efforts of ex-Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki to resolve the issue.

“When I met with Gen. Diya, he was already very sick. He couldn’t do much. I had earlier visited Gen Danjuma’s house on four different occasions but was prevented from seeing him. They told me to write out my purpose of visit and I did. Then, they kept telling me to come back for his (Danjuma’s) response, but I got none till date.

“I was introduced to an aide of former President Obasanjo when I visited Ota Farms in Ogun State over this same issue and he urged me to write to Obasanjo concerning our plight. I did, but didn’t get any response. At a point, he (the aide) even stopped picking up my calls.

“In the case of the former Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki really tried for our family; I won’t lie. His involvement revealed so many ugly things about human trafficking in Nigeria and across our borders, but unfortunately, these efforts came late. It was already getting to the expiration of his tenure as governor,” Sunday disclosed.

Determined to push further, he appealed to both President Bola Tinubu, the First Lady, Oluremi to come to the rescue of the family over the activities of the powerful trafficking cartel.

“My family is begging the president, Bola Tinubu and his wife, Oluremi to come to the rescue of my family over the influence and strong activities of this powerful trafficking cartel,” he pleaded.

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.

The grieving brother further alleged that Doris Usiagwu was involved in human trafficking and called for her arrest and extradition to Nigeria for investigation.

However, efforts made by Arewa PUNCH to reach Usiagwu for comments proved unsuccessful, as calls and text messages sent to her phone went unanswered as of the time of filing this report.

Arewa PUNCH’s further investigations into Anthony’s disappearance, which began in January 2024, revealed conflicting information, even as Ambassador Francis Enya, a former Director of Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, when contacted, acknowledged to Arewa PUNCH of being familiar with the matter but declined to disclose details.

“The issues are known to me,” Enya said in a telephone interview. “Some people said he is dead, some said he is alive, but I won’t tell you yes or no. You should follow due process through official channels.”

Anthony’s uncle, Uche Benedict Obadiemu, confirmed that the family had been in distress for the past decade.

“Anthony called his mother and the lady he intended to marry after arriving abroad. That was the last time we heard from him. We appeal to authorities to help us find our son,” Obadiemu said.

Responding to enquiries on the matter, the Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, advised the family to restart the process by providing Anthony’s contact details.

“The best that can be done is to alert the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Intelligence Agency and the Office of the National Security Adviser. Sunday needs to provide Anthony’s contact number to enable us to facilitate the process and help locate him outside the country,” Bello said.

She noted that NAPTIP does not maintain offices outside Nigeria.

However, for the Isabor family, the search continues as they maintain, “A human being cannot just disappear.”