Ten Months of Regret: A Mother’s Pain as Daughter Returns After Running Away to Meet Absentee Father

In a heart-wrenching story that has stirred emotions across social media, a woman identified as Adia Ima Imaobong recounted the distressing experience of her daughter leaving home without her consent to reunite with a father who had long abandoned them. The mother, who shared her ordeal online, said the incident began in January when her eldest daughter disappeared without notice, throwing her into days of panic, fear, and sleepless nights.

According to Adia, the sudden disappearance left her shattered as she imagined the worst. For two days, she searched tirelessly, visiting the police station and filing a formal report in hopes of finding her missing child. “You don't want to imagine the sleepless nights I had for two days,” she wrote. “I prayed, I cried, I thought of kidnappers and bad guys. I knew it could never be because of a boy.”

Just when the police were about to escalate the case, two policewomen advised her to reach out to the girl’s father—an idea that surprised her since she had not heard from him in years. His numbers had long stopped going through, and he had made no attempt to contact her despite having her number for over fifteen years. After several failed efforts to reach anyone who might have his contact, they finally found a number from an old Truecaller list and called it.

To her shock, the man confirmed that their daughter was with him in Lagos. She had traveled alone from Abuja, without a phone, using a night bus, and following his instructions. Adia said the revelation broke her heart. Relief mixed with anger and betrayal as she realized that the father, who had not been part of their lives for years, had secretly been communicating with their daughter and had encouraged her to embark on the risky journey.

“Without a phone. She didn’t travel with her phone. I have never heard or seen something like that,” she lamented. “When I say some men are wicked and useless, believe me. If anything had happened to her on the road, I’ll be the one people would look for to blame.”

What followed was even more disturbing. Upon picking the girl up from the park, her father allegedly did not take her to his own home but dropped her at a relative’s house. For three months, the mother had no communication with her daughter and assumed she was fine. Unknown to her, the girl had not been living with her father at all.

It was only in April that the young lady reached out to her mother, pleading to return home. But Adia refused immediately, insisting that her daughter had to face the consequences of her decision. “I told her, na lie. Things are not done like that. She must experience the reason why I stay on my own. She will have to bear the consequences of her decision,” she said.

Ten months later, the situation had become painfully clear. The man who had convinced his daughter to travel to Lagos had not seen her since January. It was the mother who continued to provide for the girl from afar, buying items through online vendors and having them delivered to her. “For ten months, she is yet to see the man that dragged her to Lagos just to prove what I don’t know,” she revealed. “She doesn’t even know if he actually lives in Lagos.”

The emotional toll of the experience weighed heavily on Adia, who admitted that her daughter had now learned a bitter life lesson. “She has begged and begged to return. Now, I have no other choice but to bring her back because, at the end of the day, she’s my daughter and my responsibility,” she said.

The mother explained that before her departure, the girl was preparing to start school at Bingham University. But those plans were shattered. “She has wasted ten months doing nothing. She has gone to see the other side of the grass. It can never be compared to the grass on my end,” Adia said.

Her story paints a painful picture of the realities many single mothers face while trying to raise children in the absence of responsible fathers. She expressed deep respect for men who care for their families and fulfill their duties, saying they deserve honor because many others simply don’t. “When I see responsible men that take good care of their families, I respect and regard them a lot. Some men do not believe that there are men that don’t care about their kids. They are out there roaming around,” she wrote.

Adia concluded her story with a message to mothers who are criticized for trying to shield their children from deadbeat fathers. She insisted that many of those protective decisions come from a place of love and wisdom. “When a woman tries to protect her kids from a deadbeat father, most of the time, it’s for their own good. She has learned the hard way,” she said.

Her post has since sparked widespread discussion online, with many parents sharing similar experiences and others praising her strength, patience, and firm sense of responsibility. The story stands as both a cautionary tale and a testament to a mother’s enduring love—one that endures even after betrayal, fear, and heartbreak.