ABA DETAINEE VANISHES INTO PRISON AFTER 13 YEARS WITHOUT TRIAL, FAMILY STILL SEARCHING. (PHOTO).

 ABA DETAINEE VANISHES INTO PRISON AFTER 13 YEARS WITHOUT TRIAL, FAMILY STILL SEARCHING 

19th December, 2025   

A man identified as Sunday Anyim, a native of Ebonyi State, has spent 13 years behind bars at the Aba Correctional Centre without trial after being mistakenly accused of murder.

Reports say Anyim was arrested in 2012 at Ehere Market, Aba, where he was selling okirika (second-hand clothing). He had travelled from Ebonyi to Aba to purchase the goods and reportedly had no mobile phone at the time of his arrest.

Police allegedly detained him on the grounds that he resembled a suspect wanted in connection with the murder of a woman in Obingwa Local Government Area. Despite maintaining his innocence, Anyim was charged with murder and has never been tried.

His case worsened after his case file was reportedly destroyed during the EndSARS protests, leaving his legal process stalled indefinitely.

In a heartbreaking revelation, Anyim says none of his family members know he is alive or in prison. He is married with children but has had no contact with them since his arrest. He is described as dark-complexioned, of average height, and believed to be in his 50s.

Efforts are now underway to trace his relatives. Members of the public especially those from Ebonyi State are urged to come forward if they recognize the name Sunday Anyim or know of anyone who left home around 2012 and never returned.

Sharing the story, Onyekachi Ezedike Hillary appealed for help, saying:

“Nothing is impossible. You can be the answer to his prayer.”

A decade lost. A family in the dark. And a justice system under scrutiny.