14-Year-Old Speech-Impaired Boy Missing in Lagos

A sense of panic has gripped the family of Azeez Olarenwaju, a 14-year-old speech-impaired boy who has been missing since Sunday in Obalende, Eti-Osa area of Lagos. The boy disappeared after leaving home to attend a birthday party with his friends in Yaba.

According to his father, Wasiu Olarenwaju, he became worried when he asked his son’s friends about his whereabouts and they revealed that he did not accompany them to the party due to the passenger limit in the tricycle they were using. The friends advised Azeez to board another tricycle heading to the same location, but being speech-impaired, he may not have fully understood the situation or received proper assistance in finding the right vehicle.

The concerned father reported the case to multiple police stations in Ebute Meta, Sabo, and Adekunle, while Azeez’s mother and her friends visited Alakara Police Station in Mushin, armed with his photo.

Meanwhile, Azeez’s elder brother, Farouk, shared that some individuals claimed to have seen the boy in Yaba, appearing helpless due to his disability. It was reported that he boarded another bus from that spot, but his limited ability to communicate hindered him from expressing his destination clearly. Instead, he resorted to using hand gestures, which led him to board a mini-bus (Korope). Unfortunately, Azeez can only hear and is unable to speak or write.

The Olarenwaju family is appealing to the public for any information that may help locate their missing son. Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, for a comment on the matter have been unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.