The family of Olayinka Aguda, a student at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, who went missing in 2022 after operatives of the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN), also known as Amotekun, took him, is tired of what the search for their son has become, yet they are not giving up.

Speaking with FIJ, Abosede Aguda, the mother of the missing boy, said the family had not given up on looking for their son, even though it seemed as though many had forgotten him.

She said the family still thought of him and included him in their prayers, adding that they were hopeful.

His sister, who spoke to FIJ, said that while many might have stamped their family as religious for praying for his return, they had spent a lot of money searching for Aguda in hopes that he would be found.

READ MORE: Ibadan Polytechnic Student Still Missing 651 Days After Amotekun Took Him

“When the incident happened, we spent money going to the secretariat and looking for him. We organised a protest that Sunday Igboho was part of, but it did not yield anything. We just don’t know what to do anymore, but we haven’t given up,” she told FIJ.

Aguda went missing on December 30, 2022, after Amotekun operatives were called upon by residents of the Apata neighbourhood in Ibadan, Oyo State, to protect them from armed robbers. Since then, no one has seen him. None of his relatives or friends know if he is alive and well.

FIJ had earlier reported that sounds from Amotekun’s guns woke Aguda when they arrived. Lawrence Oreoluwa, a friend of the missing boy, said Aguda started running, thinking thieves were closing in on his house. But this action led to his disappearance.

Oreoluwa said Aguda’s knee-jerk reaction to flee was understandable, given the frequent armed robberies in the area at the time.

READ MORE: Oyo Community Asked for Protection From Robbers. Instead, Amotekun Shot a Resident and ‘Kidnapped’ Him

“The Amotekun shot Aguda while he was running for cover after the deafening gunfire near a school close to his house,” Oreoluwa told FIJ.

At Apata Police Station, the Amotekun unit detained four other men from the same area and accused them of robbery, a reliable source told FIJ. But Aguda was taken away, and nobody is aware of his current situation.

Since initially reporting the event in 2023, FIJ has yet to get in touch with Amotekun, as their numbers never connect. Oyo State Police, on many occasions, always promises to get back to FIJ but never does when contacted on the matter.

FIJ dialled Amotekun again, but their phone line did not connect. They also haven’t responded to the text message FIJ sent.