Budding gospel singer Lekan Remilekun has spoken publicly about his father, veteran gospel musician Remilekun Amos, who went missing in 2000.

Before his disappearance, Mr Amos was widely known in gospel music circles for his musical ministry and his performances at Christian gatherings across southwestern Nigeria.

He revealed that his family spent the past 26 years searching for answers after the respected singer vanished during a gospel mission.

Speaking during a recent appearance on the Talk To B Podcast, Mr Remilekun recounted the circumstances surrounding his father’s disappearance and the emotional toll it has continued to take on the family more than two decades later.

According to him, his father travelled to Akure, the Ondo State capital, in November 2000 after receiving an invitation to minister at a Christian gathering.

He said the trip marked the last time the family heard from the veteran gospel singer, whose whereabouts have remained unknown ever since.

Reflecting on the painful experience, Remilekun said the uncertainty surrounding his father’s disappearance has been more difficult to bear than death itself.

“My father, Remilekun Amos, was declared missing when he went for that missionary journey in November 2000, and that was the end,” he said.

He explained that his father had travelled to Akure after accepting an invitation to minister, but never returned home.

Drawing on a popular Yoruba proverb, he described the anguish the family has lived with for over two decades.

“A Yoruba proverb says, ‘Omo ẹni kú, ó sàn ju ọmọ ẹni sọnù lọ,’ meaning a dead child is better than a missing child, and twenty-six years counting now. My children are asking me to tell them about Grandpa. No one can feel the pain more than the victim, which is me.”

Living without closure

Mr Remilekun said the passage of time has not lessened the family’s grief.

Instead, he noted that the emotional burden has only grown heavier as a new generation of the family continues asking questions about a grandfather they never had the opportunity to meet.

According to him, living without knowing what became of his father has denied the family the closure that usually comes with bereavement.

He said the uncertainty has remained one of the greatest emotional burdens he has carried throughout his life.

A respected gospel musician

His disappearance in November 2000 shocked family members, friends and members of the Christian community who knew him, but despite the passage of 26 years, no official explanation has emerged regarding what happened to him.

For Mr Remilekun, the mystery remains deeply personal.

Although he has gone on to build his own career in gospel music, he said the memory of his father continues to shape his life, while the family’s search for answers remains unfinished.