Urgent Call to Locate Parents of Missing Boys in Ebonyi

Five boys, aged between three and fourteen, are currently in the Ebonyi State juvenile remand home located in Ugwuachara, Abakaliki. Barr.

Felicia Nwamkpuma, representing the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, disclosed that the boys were found wandering in different parts of the state and were rescued by the Nigerian Police Force. The children have been in custody for varying periods, with some staying for two months and others for up to four years without any parent or guardian coming forward to claim them.

Nwamkpuma expressed concern over the indefinite stay of these vulnerable children in the remand home, which is primarily meant for underage suspects and not as a long-term shelter. She warned that if no parents or relatives come forward within a reasonable timeframe, the ministry will invoke Section Four of the Ebonyi State Child Rights Law, placing the children in foster care or adoption.

The ministry lacks facilities for education and skill acquisition within the remand home, and Nwamkpuma urged parents to urgently visit the ministry with credible evidence to identify their children.