Two-year-old Excel Forte, the daughter of visually impaired Agnes, who went missing alongside her 13-year-old step-sister Joy on November 28, 2023, has been found after a 10-month search. The children were located at an orphanage in the Bariga area of Lagos.
Agnes recounted the day her daughters disappeared. She had been in her room while Joy and Excel played in the corridor of their apartment. After a while, the sound of their voices faded, and despite her best efforts, she couldn’t find them. The search for the girls was fruitless for months, causing great distress for the family.
On Monday, Agnes confirmed to reporters that the children had been found in an orphanage. The breakthrough came when her mother-in-law received a call from someone at the orphanage, informing her of the children’s whereabouts. Agnes explained, “We searched everywhere without success until my mother-in-law was contacted by the orphanage, which told us the kids were in their care at Bariga.”
The children were found wandering along Ago Palace Way the day after they went missing. A policewoman encountered them, interrogated them, and took them to the Alakara Police Station. From there, they were sent to the orphanage. Joy had concealed her identity during this time, only revealing details about herself three months ago, which led the orphanage to contact her family.
John, the girls’ father, shared that it took several weeks to secure their release from the orphanage due to legal processes, including a court order granting him custody. He also mentioned that Joy had yet to disclose why she had left home with her sister, despite being questioned multiple times. She simply said she had been talking to her grandmother before leaving that day.
This development brings relief to the family after their harrowing 10-month search.
