Thirteen-Year-Old Girl Declared Missing Ran Away From Home, Family Declares

The Abuja 13-year-old girl, Selina Martins Yaro, who was reported missing last week Friday ran away from home, the family told THE WHISTLER on Thursday.

Recall during the weekend, this paper reported that Selina left home for an errand at the Karu Market in Abuja, but didn’t return home, forcing her aunty, Mrs Deborah Yaro, to raise the alarm that she was missing.

The posters declaring her missing went viral as they made frantic efforts to rescue her.

In an interview with this paper, the girl’s aunty who is also pregnant said she almost had miscarriage due to anxiety and stress.

Her husband reported the case at the police station with a promise that the investigation into her disappearance would commence in three days.

But instead of commencing the investigation, Mrs Yaro informed our correspondent on Monday that the 13-year-old had been found.

She explained that they received a call from the girl’s home in Gombe that Selina was hale and hearty.

Narrating how the teenage girl was found, Yaro said, “She (the girl) kept saying a lot of things, that she was kidnapped and taken to Jos (Plateau State). From Jos she and another lady escaped and found themselves in Taraba.

“That it was from Taraba State that the other lady’s dad had to put her in the vehicle that brought her back to Gombe.”

However, Selina’s aunty said Selina finally opened up and told her what actually happened.

According to Yaro, Selina confessed to her that she didn’t actually get lost but that she planned it all.

Yaro said Selina is her husband’s niece who was recently brought from Gombe to stay with them in Abuja, and so the week before Selina got missing, she went in search of school for her in Karu, Abuja where they stay.

Yaro said, “On Friday, I went in search of school for her, so when I came back, I told her I found one and I will be taking her for an interview by Monday.

“So I asked her if she could read very well. She said not too well. I said OK, once they are done eating lunch, I will test her reading level and see how good she can read. But I did not do that immediately. I was tired and needed to rest.”

Selina’s aunty further detailed that her husband’s niece confessed that it was the fear of failure that made her plan on using the money she was sent on errand with to run back to the village.

“She was scared not to fail the exam and get beaten, that was why when I sent her, she used the money and picked a bike to Nyanya park and told them she lost her way and needed help.

“So the driver she met said he is heading for Taraba the next morning, so if she can sleep in the car, the next day he will take her to Taraba. Then from Taraba he will put her in a vehicle that will take her to Gombe and that was what they did.

“She slept in the car the next morning they travelled to Taraba through Benue that Saturday, and on Sunday the driver put her in another car that brought her down to Gombe. This was her testimony as of yesterday,” Mrs Yaro said.

Speaking whether they have made attempts to trace the driver, she noted that they were unable to do so, as they were already stressed up trying to find. She concluded they are grateful to God since the girl is fine.

She also added that there are no further plans of taking her to school again as Selina will have to go back to Gombe and continue staying with her aunty.

“Though the family wants us to take her back, but on a serious note we can’t because we do not know what her next step will be if we take such a decision.

“Seriously I don’t even want her back because I am scared right now. All I need is more rest now because even the ones (other kids) that were with me for holidays just left today so I can rest well.” Yaro said feeling tired.