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• Hopes to see him back 3 years after
By Agatha Emeadi
Almost three years after five-year-old, Destiny Anthony, got missing, her mother, Mrs Grace Anthony, and the other members of the family are still agonising, believing that God will hear their prayers and return the little boy back home.
Destiny got missing from an Anglican Church in Orile Iganmu LGA, Lagos State.
On that fateful day, the family members woke up hale and hearty and Destiny with his two elder sisters, Marvelous and Ijeoma, prepared and went to the Anglican Church that is in the next compound to their house in Orile and only for the two sisters to return home without their little brother after the church service. The same St. Philips Anglican church also serves as the children’s school.
There was confusion in the house when the two girls returned home without their younger brother with Marvelous even threatening to flog Destiny when he eventually gets home, Mrs Anthony narrated.
Giving details of what happened, Mrs Anthony said: “I bathed Destiny myself and prepared him for church. While his sisters prepared themselves and the three of them left while I stayed back with my barely-one-month-old baby named Emmanuel. At the end of the service, angry Marvelous who felt her brother left the church unannounced came in and questioned me, mummy where is Destiny? I will flog him because we did not know when he left us and walked back home alone.
“Honestly, I thought it was a ruse. I quickly got up and walked to the church myself to search for him and bring him home. At the entrance of the church, I met and inquired from the security man who said: ‘I thought you came to carry him yourself.’ I asked him, what type of joke is that? Don’t you know my children, he replied, ‘I know Destiny.’ Within the twinkle of an eye, the same security changed from his normal tone and said, ‘I did not see anybody.’ We ransacked the whole church, all nooks and crannies, raided the whole premises, yet, we could not find my son.
“Within minutes and hours, the news of a missing child in a church broke and spread so fast like harmattan fire in the neighbourhood. Most of my neighbours who heard about the ordeal came to the church immediately to know what went wrong.
“Then, we all went to the police station to lodge an official complaint and returned to the church for further inquiries and investigation. It was such a confusing scenario as members of the church asked me to calm down, and let all hands be on deck to fish out the little boy either dead or alive.”
According to Mrs Anthony, a widow and a hawker of an Igbo delicacy called abacha: “When I remember that first night without my son by my bedside, it became the longest night of my life. The night crawled and refused to break even as I intermittently watched my clock. I sat with my eyes open till daybreak. My thought went forth and back, I could not pray, neither could I cry.”
In an emotion-laden thought, Mrs Anthony broke down uncontrollably and said: “Things we watch on soap operas have finally become a reality in my life. I thought of my little boy, his present mien, where he was, how safe, how confusing and surprised his new abode would be to him. Could he ever laugh or cry out his heart looking for his mummy, his sisters, Marvelous and Ihuoma, then his baby brother, Emmanuel? I remembered the few days Destiny would look at his baby and plant a kiss on his cheeks. Not minding how tender his brother was as a month-old baby, Destiny would drag him to come and play with him. He would miss all the family bond. I remembered his dancing steps, smartness and love for church. All these drove me to nuts. With a fluctuating faith which swindles to positivity or negativity that night, life became helplessly meaningless to me.
“Just like a fairy tale, just like yesterday, my son went to church and has not come back after two years. Life is indeed unfair. To think that my name is written among the mothers with missing children.”
Amid sobs, it became difficult to pacify her as she continued: “If Destiny was ill, or probably was involved in an accident that took his life, I would be at peace. That I am alive and cannot account the whereabouts of my son is killing me.
“With the encounter of the night, I sat in my lonely world, positive thoughts beclouded me and I put myself together and vow to fight with my last breath until I see my son, Destiny.”
Mrs Anthony wiped off a bit of her tears and said: “My children loved church. Of all the questions I asked God was … God your child Destiny, as young as he was, loved and served you passionately. The moment he hears, praise the Lord in the church, he will quickly rush to church.
“Sometimes, he dashes out without his clothes. I personally do not allow them to go outside, but anything church, my son does not joke with it. The moment he hears the sound of musical instruments, or voice of the choristers, he will run to the church immediately.
“As young as he was, he was not ashamed to dance and make merry in church. Why this challenge, why this? When I gave birth to Emmanuel, my children announced it to the church members that I have given birth. The former Reverend who came around led a few other members to visit the baby and I.
“Luckily, as I survived the harrowing night and went back to the church the next morning with some of my neighbours to know the next step, the Reverend in-charge came out and started recording me.
“I told him, as far as I am looking for my child, you can go ahead and put me on record. I did not come here to fight; all I want is my child based on the previous day’s promise. Next, my junior brother politely asked one of the pastors what was happening to the case of the missing child from your church? The Pastor retorted, ‘why are you disturbing me?’ My brother said, ‘we are talking about a missing child from the church and you call it disturbance?’ A fight ensued between them and the pastor accused my brother of stealing his wrist-watch and i-phone, which he claimed are expensive.
“In all, after two years and eight months, nothing tangible has been said or done to the case. There is no meeting whatsoever, no serious complaint, nothing has happened.”
Asked in all of these what her families have been able to do, she retorted: “Just before the incident of the missing child from the church, my husband travelled to the village, took ill and passed away on exactly November 1, 2021. While he was away, I also went to the village to see him and tell him the situation of things especially with the case of Destiny’s missing; which shook him the more before he passed unto glory. It became double-wahala for dead body, according to the music maestro, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
“My pain in my agonizing condition is that I don’t have a proficient man or woman who can stand with me and defend me. But I have cried unto God, who is a just God. It is unfortunate that I do not have anybody and that is why I am being trampled upon. The same me who is in search of my son was still arrested to sign an undertaking. I have nobody, but I have God.”
Asked if she had any premonition of her son’s missing, she said: “Never.’ But one of the women in the church told this reporter that “while we were dancing, I saw another woman who led Destiny out of the church, and I felt probably she was going to buy biscuit for him.”
In another twist, Mrs Anthony opened up on the rumour being peddled against her. What is it? “When I became scarce in the neighborhood due to my trip down the East, on my return, it was widely spread that I have seen my son, which my husband and I took to the village. “This is breaking me down further. Can a woman joke with her own blood?”
As tears flow freely down her cheeks intermittently, she said: “How can I see my son without making it open and jubilate.
“Since I have no human advocate, I resorted to prayers and a few praying places I visited, I have been assured that he will come back to us in the family. I was also told not to quarrel or raise accusing finger, instead be on my own.
“As the rumour mongers are still on their prowl, on a certain day, a woman saw me hawking my Abacha and sighed at me. I wondered why that uncanny behaviour towards me and confronted her immediately and she said, ‘my missing son’s case is the reason members dispersed, and the church is now scanty.’ I cautioned her aggressively never to repeat that again and we were seen in hot exchange of voices.”
Asked how they have been coping without little Destiny? She heaved a sigh of relief and then said: “My second daughter, Ijeoma would be the one who always says, Mummy, my brother Destiny would come back. Severally, they have said they saw him in a dream where he came back to unite with the family.”
