The hope of the 13 year old stowaway boy, Daniel Ohikhena, to reunite with his parent may have been dashed as the Edo State government has taken full custody of him.
A source close to the Director of Child Development at the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Elizabeth Enakhiomon, whom the officials of the State Security Service (SSS) handed the boy to on arrival in Benin City hinted FrontiersNews Wednesday morning that the state government would take over the upkeep of the stowaway boy.
According to the source, the boy will not return back to the parents. He is now government property.
The state Director of Social Welfare, also at the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Imuetinya Avielele had told newsmen that the ministry would subject him to serious interrogations, noting that since the security agencies had completed their investigation, the duty now fall on them to also carry out their interrogation.
She said the boy would be taken to correctional department in the ministry to subject him to series of orientation as regards his attitudinal change.
“Though, I have not seen the boy but I was aware that he is already in the state. The state government has already contacted us. But as the security agencies have carried out their interrogation, we will also carry out ours to ascertain what informed him to enter the plane, how he entered and why he
didn’t die.
“We were made to understand that several persons that have stowaway died in the process. His survival is a miracle and we want to know exactly what happened. He will be kept in the correctional department of the ministry,” she said.
It would be recalled that Daniel Ohikhena, was on the 24th of last month arrested by security operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos for illegally boarding, Arik plane by hidden on its tyre compatment with the intention of travelling to America.
But to his disappointment, he was however landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos.
Master Ohikhena after 10 days in the custody of security agency in Lagos was however transferred to Edo State command of the State Security Service for onward handling over to his parents.
The parents were however disappointed after a meeting with the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole and the state director of SSS, Bello Bakori which lasted for over five hours when the state government said it would take full custody of the teenager.
Ohikhena was brought to government house around 4pm on Tuesday by the state director of SSS, Peugeot 408 with registration number, EDO- BEN 434 AQ under tight security.
The boy was shielded from anxious newsmen who had besieged the government house to have a first time interview session with him.
The press were barred from entering the premises where the meeting with the state governor, Daniel, and his parent took place.
Worried by the presence of newsmen, Daniel was however smuggled to the venue of the meeting through the office of the Chief of Staff to the state governor.
The boy along with his mother, Evelyn Ohikhena, were also smuggled out of the government house through the same Chief of Staff office after the meeting.
The state director of SSS, Bello Bakori left the state government house at about 8.15pm immediately after the meeting.
The state governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole however declined to speak on the outcome of the meeting when confronted
FrontiersNews
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