At just 31 years old, U.S. soldier Zainab James has faced battles both on and off the field—but her toughest mission yet is finding the father she’s never met.
This week, Zainab turned to social media in a heartfelt plea for help, sharing faded photographs of her late mother, Claudine James, and the man she believes is her father: a Nigerian immigrant named Lateef Quadri.
According to Zainab, her mother became pregnant in 1993 while living in Brooklyn, New York. She was born the following year, but her father was not present at her birth—and no one in her family ever met him. The only clues she has?
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Her father, believed to be Nigerian, chose her name (Zainab).
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Her mother briefly dated him but they were not in a long-term relationship.
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Claudine worked with Lateef’s sister at a jewelry store, possibly in Brooklyn.
In her emotional Facebook post, Zainab shared rare photos—including one of her pregnant mother—hoping someone might recognize the man who gave her her name but vanished from her life.
“Hey all! A real shot in the dark, but why not?” she wrote. “I’m looking for my father or any of his family. All I know is he was Nigerian, possibly named Lateef Quadri or something like that.”
With her mother now deceased, Zainab’s search has taken on new urgency. She’s appealing to the public—especially the Nigerian and Brooklyn communities—for any leads.
“No one in my family met him, but he’s still a part of me,” she says. “I just want to know where I come from.”
Can You Help?
If you have any information about Lateef Quadri or his family, Zainab urges you to reach out. For a soldier, this mission is personal—and she won’t rest until she finds the missing piece of her story.
(Photos: Zainab James/Facebook)
