*Family Disappointed With Police Role, Victim’s Mum Weeps
*Guardian Allegedly Threatened By Suspect
*Lawyer Determined To Ensure Justice
By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
The sudden and mysterious disappearance of a 14-year-old boy, identified as Delight Ejiofor, is causing ripples in Katsina State even as the family, who have pursued the matter to the highest levels of police hierarchy in the crises-ridden North-West state, are dissatisfied with police handling of the case.
Worse still, a prime suspect in the disappearance who was arrested and detained following complaint by the boy’s guardian, was later conditionally released on bail after he allegedly confessed to conspiracy in the disappearance and promised cops that he would produce the fresh-faced boy.
However, in a seeming volte-face, he has allegedly now failed to do so and is reportedly presently walking the streets free.
The victim’s guardian, Mr. James Olinya, has petitioned the Commissioner of Police, Katsina State Command, over the poor handling of Ejiofor’s matter by cops.
In the petition, Olinya,among other things, expressed dissatisfaction with the investigation by personnel of the Command’s Anti-kidnapping Unit, who, he stated, were investigating the case as one of abduction/kidnapping whereas what the family reported to police was a case of disappearance.
The petition, a copy of which was obtained by People&Politics from the family’s legal representative, Barrister Agba Vanger of Vanger & Associates, Kaduna, outlined that Ejiofor disappeared sometime in November 2025 from Olinya’s residence in Malumfashi, Katsina State.
It is noteworthy that Malumfashi is one of the big towns in Katsina State and has a rare religious mix of indigenous Fulani/Hausa Christians and Moslems, though the state is about 98 per cent Muslim in demographics.
Dated 5 March, 2026, the petition further highlighted that, upon noticing Ejiofor’s disappearance from his residence, Mr. Olinya,after few days, reported the matter to the Malumfashi Police Division, which has jurisdiction over the locality.
In a seeming breakthrough, the family further disclosed, one Abubakar, popularly known in the area as Ina Emir, accosted Olinya allegedly with threats to make him disappear like Ejiofor.
The suspect further allegedly taunted Olinya, the petition stated, that “our client is a stranger, and that he will make our client disappear the same way he made our client’s son, Delight Ejiofor disappear.”
The petition read, in part: “Commissioner of Police, Katsina State, Katsina State Command, we are solicitors to Mr. James Olinya, herein referred to as our client on whose instruction we make this complaint to your good office for your kind attention and consideration.
“Our client is the guardian of one Bright Ejiofor, male (14 years), who until his disappearance sometime in November, 2025 resided with our client and his family at Malumfashi, Katsina State.
“That following disappearance of the Bright Ejiofor sometime in November, 2025, our client reported the case to the Malumfashi Police Division.
“Few days after the Bright Ejiofor went missing, one Abubakar popularly called (INA EMIR) accosted our client and threatened our client and that he, Abubakar, is a son of the soil while our client is a stranger, and that he will make our client disappear the way he made our client’s son, Bright Ejiofor disappear.
“That, with the threat from the said Abubakar popularly known as INA EMIR, he was arrested and taken to the Divisional Police Station Malumfashi.
“At the police station, the suspect confessed to been behind the disappearance and whereabouts of the said Bright Ejiofor and pleaded to be given 24 hours to produce the missing Bright Ejiofor.
“That, following the intercession of community leaders, the suspect Abubakar, AKA Ina Emir, was granted bail on the condition that he Will produce the said Bright Ejiofor.
“But soon as he was released on bail, he deliberately refused to do so, and kept on giving excuses, hence the case was transferred to Anti-kidnaping Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Katsina, at our law firm’s insistence for further and proper investigation.
“We accompanied our client to the Criminal Investigation Department kidnapping Unit where he gave his written statement and also facilitated the movement of the investigative team from Katsina to Malumfashi for further investigation.”
The lawyer told People&Politics in Kaduna that him and the family were later invited by the Office of the AIG Zone 14, Katsina State, over the case.
He also said his client, Mr. Olinya, and his wife were interviewed by the Assistant Commissioner (AC), General Investigations, during the visit, and fresh statements were obtained with a promise by the police to get back to them.
He added that Mr. Olinya recently discovered that the suspect, Abubakar, has “a master” identified as Mallam Mustapha, alleging that the latter had sometime in 2024 requested Olinya to give Ejiofor to him to be trained in his (Mustapha’s) unstated business, but Mr. Olinya refused to heed to the request.
Barr. Vanger added that Mr. Olinya suspected that Abubakar alongside Mustapha are in the know of details relating to Ejiofor’s disappearance.
When People&Politics contacted Mr. Olinya on the phone, a female voice that identified herself as his wife, backed the allegations, saying the family are not happy with police conduct in the matter in its entirety.
In a voice punctuated by sobs, Olinya’s wife said she saw Abubakar, whom she accused of knowing the whereabouts of Ejiofor, moving about freely on the streets.
She made a passionate appeal to relevant authorities in the state and country to help locate and bring the boy back home.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Delight Ejiofor.
