Metro
Family finds son who went missing at 14 in 2007, held in Rivers prison for 18 years, had his name changed
An Ogoni family in Rivers State has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government, the Rivers State Government, and the Ministry of Interior over the 18-year imprisonment of their son, Gospel Kinanee, who was allegedly detained without trial after being arrested at the age of 14.
Speaking during an interview with Arise News, Gospel’s elder brother, Paul Kinanee, said his brother disappeared one night in 2007, prompting desperate efforts by the family to locate him.
According to him, they searched several police stations and correctional facilities, including the Port Harcourt Maximum Security Custodial Centre, where Gospel was unknowingly being held, but officials reportedly denied having any record of him.
Paul said the prolonged uncertainty surrounding Gospel’s disappearance plunged the family into years of anguish, adding that both their mother and father died without knowing what had happened to their son.
The family only discovered Gospel’s whereabouts recently after a lawyer, during a routine prison visit, noticed an inmate matching his description.
The lawyer later returned to the correctional facility with Paul, who confirmed that the inmate was indeed his younger brother, now 32 years old.
After spending nearly two decades behind bars without trial or legal representation, Gospel was reportedly left with severe psychological trauma and mental health challenges.
He eventually regained his freedom alongside 20 other inmates during a jail delivery exercise conducted by the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi.
The Kinanee family is now seeking substantial compensation and judicial accountability, arguing that Gospel’s youth, health, and future were destroyed by what they describe as his unlawful detention.
A video showing Gospel’s brother recounting the family’s ordeal has since emerged online.
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