My brother went missing at 14, found in P’Harcourt prison 18 years after – Sibling

A family in Nigeria has been reunited with a missing son after an 18-year separation, only to find him mentally unstable and unable to recognize them. Gospel Kinanee disappeared in 2007 at the age of 14 while playing with friends. His family searched extensively but found no trace of him, eventually giving up hope and believing him to be dead.

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Gospel went missing in 2007. He was around 14 years old when the incident happened. On that fateful day, we were all together during the day. In the afternoon, he went out to play with his peers. He came back home to eat and later went out again to play, but he never returned home.

The devastating impact of his disappearance led to the death of his parents in the same year, unable to bear the grief and uncertainty. The family had resigned themselves to the loss of Gospel until an unexpected call in early 2025 brought news that he had been found.

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His disappearance led to the death of my father and mother. They both died the same year when the pain became too much for them to bear.

To their astonishment, Gospel was discovered in the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre. A group of lawyers on a prison welfare mission identified him and contacted his elder brother. Initially disbelieving, the brother was eventually convinced and met Gospel at the correctional facility.

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But to my surprise, early in 2025, I got a call from someone saying that some people were looking for me and that they had found my brother, Gospel.

Upon seeing his brother, the elder sibling was overcome with emotion. Gospel, now 32, was disoriented and showed no recognition. The 18 years of incarceration had taken a severe toll on his mental health, leaving him in a state of instability. While he could no longer recognize his family, his brother recognized him, a poignant moment highlighting the profound tragedy of his lost years.

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Immediately I got there, I saw my brother outside, but he could no longer recognise me. I broke down in tears because I recognised him, and he was not looking sane at all. He had been in prison for 18 years.