By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
Fear has gripped residents of Agbarho in Ughelli North, Delta State, following a disturbing wave of child disappearances—most notably involving five-year-old twins, Divine and Delight Elijah.
Chairman of Ughelli North Local Government, Olorogun Jago Egbo, confirmed that five cases were initially reviewed in a high-level inquiry, though some were ruled out as non-criminal.
He explained that one case involved a teenager who eloped with her boyfriend, while another child was taken by his father.
A two-year-old, Tega, was reportedly taken from his mentally ill mother, while a cart pusher found with a child has since been arrested. Cart pushing has now been banned in the area as a precaution.
At the heart of the crisis, however, remains the unresolved disappearance of the Elijah twins. Local accounts suggest that the children were left in the care of a 15-year-old girl, but when one was sent to buy sachet water, only one returned. Divine remains unaccounted for.
Egbo announced a ₦5 million reward for credible information on the missing children, stressing that “every human life is particularly important to us.” But his varying statements first confirming only two missing children, then later acknowledging three have deepened public mistrust.
Community women, who first raised the alarm, insist that the disappearances follow a troubling pattern targeting twins and children from vulnerable families. “No mother would falsely declare her child missing without cause,” one resident said.
As tensions rise, residents are demanding answers amid fears that the disappearances may point to a wider abduction network.