Opral Benson’s Family Worries About How She Got To Liberia, Prays For Safe Arrival Back To Lagos

By Adesina Soyooye

The family of Mrs Opral Benson, the Iya Oge of Lagos, which a few days ago, raised an alarm over her whereabouts has now confirmed that the 90 year-old is safe.

The Family, in a statement on January 15,  had declared her missing, emphasising that nobody had seen her in the past 48 hours. Part of the statement read: “The family reports that Mama Opral Benson has been missing since Tuesday, January 13, 2026. She has NOT RETURNED HOME and her current whereabouts are UNKNOWN.

“Anyone who has SEEN HER, or has ANY INFORMATION, no matter how small, is urged to CONTACT IMMEDIATELY: O803 703 9214.

“Alternatively, please, report  to the nearest Police Station.

“THIS IS TIME SENSITIVE”

However, on Tuesday, January 20, the family, in a statement signed by her daughter, Bimbo, on its behalf said Mrs Benson has been tracked to Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, her home country, and that she is safe, even though she does not know how she got to that country, a country she left in 1962 for Nigeria when she married the late former Federal Minister, TOS Benson. When Bimbo spoke to on the phone on Sunday, she was not aware of her whereabouts, and insisted that she was in her Ikoyi home.

In the angry, strongly-worded statement,  the family said Mrs Benson has no living sibling, and had not visited Liberia in the past 10 years. It took exception that anybody could ferry the Iya Oge of Lagos from Nigeria to Liberia without the knowledge of any of her family members in Nigeria.

The statement reads:

“Dear Friends,

Re: My Mum

“I wish to express my heartfelt appreciation to all of you who joined hands in tracking and tracing the whereabouts of Mama. She is reported to be in Liberia—a country she left in 1962 to become a Nigerian.

“I spoke with Mama today, Sunday, 18 January, at 11:18 a.m. She is well and hearty; however, she is unaware that she is in Monrovia, Liberia; she responded her location to be Ikoyi, Lagos.

“The transportation of Mama out of Nigeria without the knowledge of her Family is deeply troubling and should be frowned upon by all daughters who model respect and care for their mothers.

“This act of disregard, impunity, and irresponsibility is, therefore, frowned upon.

“Mama’s siblings are all deceased, and as such, she has not visited Liberia in over 10 years.

“In keeping with our Nigerian culture of deference to elders, a culture Mama has imbibed for the past 65 years “awon omo inu wan”, and all those desirous of meeting and greeting Mama are urged to visit her in Nigeria and not place her at unnecessary risk.

“Nigeria and Liberia share long-standing bilateral relations founded on mutual respect. Both Nations uphold Mama with pride and dignity. This is evident in her over 25 traditional Chieftaincy Titles and most recently, the conferment of the Grand Commander of the order of the Star of Africa a top tier honor conferred on her by the President of Liberia, Joseph Boakai during the occasion of her 90th birthday in Lagos last year.

“Opportunists parading and surrounding her are hereby urged to immediately withdraw and desist from their pursuits.

“As stated in Isaiah 46:4, God promises to carry His people even into their grey hairs—a time of continued divine support.

“We kindly ask that you keep Mama in your prayers for her safe and timely return to us.

“God Bless and Allah

Guide.

Bimbo.”