Ebonyi State Police Command has rescued six kidnapped children and arrested the ringleader of those who specialise in the abduction of children.
In a statement signed by the police spokesperson, DSP Joshua Ukandu, he said on January 21, 2024, one Nkwuda Francis reported to the command that a woman, initially identified as Mercy Francis, allegedly a youth corps member, kidnapped two children from his house in Nwezenyi Igbeagu, Izzi local government area after she rented a room in the compound.
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Ukandu said the children, aged three and seven were later found to have been taken by one Ngozi Blessing Abia, which was revealed to be the suspect’s true identity.
“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.
Ukandu said similarly, one Mrs. Lovina Iwuorah and Mrs. Ndifereke Wisdom Clement, mothers whose children were 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 years old.
“The investigation led officers to Benin City, Edo State 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 three-year-old son.
“The boy was later recovered and reunited with his family after being sold by the suspect,” the police said.
He said that the suspect’s modus operandi are 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,” he said.