In a recent post on Punch Newspaper on Saturday, May 30, 2026, a family in Rivers State has demanded justice after their younger brother, who disappeared as a 14-year-old boy in 2007, was discovered in a correctional facility 18 years later without any clear record explaining his incarceration.
The victim, Gospel Kinanee, was recently reunited with his family after spending nearly two decades in custody at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre, a development that has sparked questions about how a minor could remain imprisoned for so long without trial or contact with relatives.
Speaking on the ordeal, Gospel’s elder brother said the family had searched tirelessly for him after he vanished while playing with friends in their community.
According to him, Gospel left home on the day of his disappearance to play with peers and never returned. The family initially believed he had spent the night with a friend, but panic set in when he remained missing for days.
“We searched everywhere, including police stations, hospitals and prison yards, but we could not find him,” he said.
As years passed without any trace of the teenager, the family gradually lost hope. The emotional burden reportedly took a devastating toll on their parents, who died in the same year after struggling to cope with the loss.
The breakthrough came in early 2025 when the family received information that Gospel had been found during a prison welfare and inmate rehabilitation exercise conducted by a team of lawyers.
The brother said he initially dismissed the claim, believing it was a case of mistaken identity. However, he later visited the correctional centre and was confronted with a heartbreaking reality.
“Immediately I got there, I saw my brother outside, but he could no longer recognise me. I broke down in tears because I recognised him, and he was not looking sane at all,” he said.
Now 32 years old, Gospel reportedly suffers from severe mental health challenges and is unable to explain how he ended up in prison. His family insists he was healthy and mentally sound before he disappeared.
Following interventions by lawyers and prison reform advocates, the Chief Judge of Rivers State granted clemency to Gospel, leading to his release after 18 years in custody.
Since returning home, he has undergone numerous medical examinations and is receiving treatment while living with relatives.
The family has, however, filed a lawsuit against correctional authorities and the state government, seeking compensation and accountability for what they describe as a grave miscarriage of justice.
They also alleged that officials have failed to provide any documentation explaining Gospel’s imprisonment and claimed there was no identifiable case file linked to his detention.
While grateful that he was found alive, relatives say the years lost can never be recovered.
“We thought we had lost him forever. Now we want justice and support to help him rebuild his life,” the brother said….Read_More…