Nigerian woman seeks public help to find siblings taken to Cameroon 30 years ago

Lister Mathew Osas, a Nigerian woman, has appealed to the public for help in locating her three siblings who were allegedly taken to Cameroon by their Cameroonian father more than three decades ago. The emotional plea was shared in a video on Instagram, detailing the decades-long pain her mother has endured since the disappearance.

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My mom came back from work and all three of her children had disappeared, including the man.

According to Osas, the incident occurred in the 1990s when her mother, a native of Cross River State living in Kaduna, left her children with their father, Alfred Dibong Mandeng, while she was at work. Upon returning, she discovered that the man and all three children had vanished. Neighbors helped trace them to another residence in Kaduna, but by the time her mother briefly left to gather belongings, they had disappeared again, this time having moved countries with the children.

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By the time she came back, this time he had moved countries with the children.

The abducted siblings are identified as Antonia Dibong Mandeng, who was six at the time; Maxwell Dibong Mandeng, four; and Victoria Dibong Mandeng, aged two or three. Their mother has remained in Kaduna ever since, reportedly falling ill if she attempts to leave, driven by the persistent hope of reuniting with her children. Osas believes her mother's continued presence in Kaduna stems from this deep-seated belief that closure is possible.

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My mom has lived all her life in Kaduna. If you try to take her out of Kaduna back to the South where she’s from, Cross River, she falls sick.

Osas described the disappearance as an act of cruelty and shared that her mother grieves deeply, often trying to hide her pain. Now a mother herself, Osas feels a greater understanding of her mother's emotional burden and is determined to help her find closure. She is appealing to anyone with information about the family to come forward, noting that the children would now be adults in their thirties.

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I’ve seen her cry at different times for this thing. She tries to cover it so I don’t get to see it, but I see it.