Six children who were kidnapped have been rescued by the Ebonyi State Police Command. The police also captured the leader of the group behind the abductions, a woman known for targeting children in the state.
According to DSP Joshua Ukandu, the spokesperson for the command, the rescue operation followed a report made by Nkwuda Francis on January 21, 2024. Francis reported that a woman, initially posing as a youth corps member named Mercy Francis, had taken two young children from his home in Nwezenyi Igbeagu, Izzi LGA of Ebonyi State. The woman had rented a room in the same compound.
DSP Ukandu explained that the two children, aged three and seven, were discovered to have been taken by a woman named Ngozi Blessing Abia, who turned out to be the real suspect.
“Following a diligent investigation by officers attached to the Gender Unit of the Command, the suspect was located in Oba, Anambra State, where the children were rescued and returned to their family,” he stated.
DSP Ukandu said that similarly, one Mrs. Lovina Iwuorah and Mrs. Ndifereke Wisdom Clement, two mothers whose children were similarly abducted in Ohaozara LGA of the State, identified the suspect as the conspirator in the disappearance of their three children, aged between one and three-year-old.
The investigation led officers to Benin City, where the children were found in an orphanage. The proprietor of the orphanage has been detained and is providing valuable information to the Police.
“Additionally, one Chinasa Uwezoke from Lagos, upon learning of the arrest, visited the Command and identified the suspect as someone who had gained her trust and subsequently took her three children to the market, only to flee with her 3-year-old son.
“The boy was later recovered and reunited with his family after being sold by the suspect,” the Police spokesman added.
He noted that the suspect’s modus operandi was to rent an apartment, fraternize with her unsuspecting neighbours, gain their trust and abduct their children for pecuniary gains.
“The Command hereby advises property owners and caretakers to thoroughly screen potential tenants and urges parents to educate their children about safety and stranger interactions,” the PPRO stated.
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