BY RITA OYIBOKA
An 18-year-old girl, Benedicta Michael, who was declared missing earlier in the week in Asaba, Delta State, has been found safe, bringing relief to her family and guardian.
Benedicta was reported to have left her guardian’s home on Monday under the pretext of going to work and later to school to collect her results.
However, she was unreachable for days, prompting her aunt and guardian, Mrs Joy Bernard, to raise an alarm and report the matter to police authorities.
Mrs Bernard, who has cared for Benedicta since she was 12, recounted the ordeal to The Pointer:
“When I discovered she was not at her workplace, I was told she had gone to school. She later picked up my call but cut it off abruptly. After that, her phone went off for days. I went as far as questioning her classmates, her boss, and even her boyfriend, a tricycle rider, but all denied knowledge of her whereabouts. The pressure from her mother and family was so much that I had to make a formal complaint to the A Division Police Station.”
The case took a positive turn when Benedicta resurfaced after reportedly staying with ‘’one Hausa boy’’ at Cable Point axis of the state capital.
According to her, she decided to return after receiving calls that her mother, who resides in Oghara (Ethiope West Local Government Area), had taken ill as a result of the distress her disappearance caused.
When asked why she left home without informing anyone, Benedicta gave no clear explanation.
“I just left. I did not think about who would be worried. My phone was off because there was no light where I was. I didn’t call my aunt,” she admitted.
Pressed further on whether she had any issues at home that might have prompted her to leave, she responded negatively, insisting she did not quarrel with her guardian.
On whether such a disappearance could happen again, she remained uncertain. “I can’t say. I don’t know,” she said.
Her guardian, Mrs Bernard, expressed deep relief that the teenager had returned safely but noted the family had endured sleepless nights.
“I am so grateful to God. At least my enemies will not ask me, ‘Where is your God?’ I went everywhere, her workplace, her supposed boyfriend, even the police, just to find her. Now that she has come back, I will hand her over to her mother. My only joy is that she is alive.”
This is not the first time Benedicta has disappeared. About four months ago, she went missing for days, warranting intervention from her guardian’s pastor and her (Benedicta’s) mother and siblings.
The police, who had already commenced preliminary tracking before her reappearance, are expected to conclude their documentation of the case following her return.
As of press time, Benedicta has been reunited with her guardian, while her mother, who is reportedly ill from the shock of her daughter’s disappearance, has been informed of her safety.
