How 90-yr-old man returned home 4 decades after being declared missing
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has reunited a 90-year-old man with his family in Mai Mazari village, Jigawa State, after being declared missing over 40 years ago.
The old man, simply called Alhaji Abdullahi, said he went to Khartoum, capital of Sudan, over 40 years ago and decided to remain there.
Alhaji Usman said, “The first time I visited Sudan, I went with my family, but we came back and I moved there again alone and since then I didn’t come back until today. When I was there I was into farming and rearing of animals.”
The old man told BBC Hausa Service that he coul not recall his exact date of birth but that he was around 50 years when he left Nigeria, and added that he even travelled to Saudi Arabia through Sudan.
“I went to Saudi Arabia on foot when I got some money from what I was doing in Khartoum. I stayed in the Holy Land a little longer and then went back to
Sudan; not to Nigeria.”
He said he married another wife in Sudan and had five children with her.
“I left other children there. Fadima is my daughter and she is married with children, I have sons, Ibrahim, Mustapha, Zubairu and Garba; all in Khartoum.”
On whether he recognised any of his family members in the village in Nigeria, the old man said no, adding that it was destiny that brought him back to his roots, commending the Red Cross for their kind gesture in reuniting him with his family.
Alhaji Abdullahi also said he was very happy that some of his family members were alive to see him and jokingly expressed readiness to marry another wife in the village.
Upon his arrival, family members gathered to receive their relative who they thought had passed away many years ago.
One of them, Abu Usman, said the old man was his uncle and that they recognised him despite the age.
He said all the while they thought he was dead “until he was brought back home by this humanitarian and organisation.
“We never thought he was alive. We are very happy to see him today, and my happiness can’t be measured. We thank God and we thank the Red Cross.”
The aged man’s granddaughter, Ummasalama Tajudden, expressed happiness to meet her grandfather who she only heard of from her parents.
She said they were told that their grandfather got lost 40 years ago and was yet to be found, and that they were happy to see him back home.
great