“12-Year-Old Boy Shares Why He Fled Home: ‘I Wasn’t Getting Enough to Eat'”

A 12-year-old boy has shared that he ran away from home due to dissatisfaction with his meals, which were served only twice a day. Reunited with his guardian at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) headquarters in Osogbo, Osun State, the boy explained that the meals did not meet his appetite.

In a statement released on Wednesday by NSCDC spokesperson Kehinde Adeleke, it was noted that the guardian, whose identity remains undisclosed, admitted that the boy’s hunger was notably high. The guardian explained, “His appetite for food is quite large. No matter how much food he is given, he always seems unsatisfied.”

The boy’s statement was quoted as follows: “I ran away from my guardian’s house because I was given only two square meals a day, and they didn’t satisfy me, so I decided to leave.”

The NSCDC state commandant, Michael Adaralewa, reported that the boy was found wandering around the LAMECO area of Osogbo by operatives on Thursday, August 29, 2024, at approximately 11 p.m. Adaralewa urged the public to cooperate with security personnel in combating crime and addressing issues like kidnapping in the state.