NSCDC seeks parents of stranded boy found in Osun

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

The Osun State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has found an eight-year-old boy wandering along the Imesi Ile/Otan Ile Road.

The child, identified simply as Elijah, was said to be in a state of confusion when discovered and was unable to provide coherent responses.

In a statement made available to newsmen in Osogbo on Thursday, the command’s spokesperson, ASC Kehinde Adeleke, said Elijah revealed that he had been picked up by an unidentified man from Auchi in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.

According to the statement, Elijah disclosed that his mother had sent him on an errand but he could not recall further details such as his surname or the names and contact information of his parents.

The boy, who said his father is a farmer and that the entire family resides in Auchi, further explained that the man who picked him up eventually dropped him at Imesi Ile, leaving him stranded and unsure of how to return home.

The statement reads: “The Command has since carried out investigations in Imesi Ile and Otan Ile. Community leaders from both towns were invited to assist with identification. However, no one has been able to recognize or identify the boy.

“The only consistent information the child has provided is that he lives with his parents in Auchi and was left at Imesi Ile/Otan Ile area by an unknown individual.

“Elijah is currently in the custody of the NSCDC Osun State Command. We urge anyone with credible information that could help reunite him with his family to come forward.”