Ado Council Boss Leads Urgent Search for Three Missing Ijigban Youths
By Pan Afric Reporters
The disappearance of three young men from Ijigban community in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State has sparked a major search effort, led personally by the council chairman, Engr. Sunny Oche.
The missing youths David Adai, Gideon Mike, and Kingsley E. Itodo according to a press release e-signed by Innocent Igelle, Principal Private Secretary to the Council Chairman were last heard from on Friday, August 8, 2025, after completing a bank transaction in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. They reportedly sent a message confirming their departure but never made it back home. The incident has plunged the community into distress, especially as it recalls a similar tragedy in 2023 when two other Ijigban youths went missing.
On Sunday, August 10, Chairman Oche mobilized a search mission to Ijigban, accompanied by the Leader of Ado Legislative House, Hon. Agbo Adadu; the Local Government Recorder, Gowon Obande; and operatives of the Anyam Nyor Civil Protection Guard.
During the visit, the council team met with Chief Christopher Onumah, the traditional ruler of Ijigban, and the Council of Elders. Oche assured them of a “comprehensive investigation,” pledging to seek the intervention of Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi and the Governor of Ebonyi State, Rt. Hon. BLDR Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru. He also reaffirmed the support of Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia, noting that Ado’s security architecture had been strengthened through the deployment of the Anyam Nyor Civil Protection Guard.
The Chairman later addressed elders and youth leaders at the Ijigban Primary Healthcare Center, where he provided communication resources to assist the search team. He also visited Chief Agbo Oriri, the past Acting District Head, who commended the prompt response but urged financial backing for the community’s ongoing search efforts.
Calling for calm, vigilance, and timely reporting of suspicious activities, Oche pledged that the council will “leave no stone unturned” until the missing youths are found.
Hon. Adadu stressed the urgency of the search and appealed for community cooperation, saying the matter concerns not just Ijigban but neighboring areas like his own community, Ulayi.
The search is expected to span both Benue and Ebonyi States in the coming days.
