Police nab medical doctor over alleged child trafficking, forgery

Enugu State Police Command has arrested one Dr. Emmanuel Ugwumba, 52, of Ezimo-Agu community in Udenu Local Government Area over alleged child trafficking and forgery.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Enugu.

Ndukwe said that the Command’s operatives serving in the Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad apprehended the suspect on September 28, 2024.

According to the PPRO, the suspect’s arrest followed the interception of a public notice on an abandoned child he made and endorsed in the name of the Enugu State Ministry of Gender and Social Development as the director of OTZ, and published on a national daily.

The police spokesman said upon his arrest, he was found to be involved in child trafficking, with one pregnant woman, the four-year-old child, and another two-year-old child, both female.

“Investigation revealed that the suspect, who claimed to be a graduate of medicine and surgery from the University of Jos, owns and manages Chima Hospital and Maternity located at Ugbaike Enugu-Ezike in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area.

“It was further discovered that between 2017 and 2024, he conspired with an acclaimed staff of the Ministry and others at large to conduct ante-natal care and delivery of seven yet-to-be-traced children from different mothers in the hospital,” he said.

According to him, the suspect was also found to be in unauthorised possession of different documents from the Ministry of Gender Affairs and unverified pest/vector certificates from the Enugu State Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources.