Police smash interstate child-trafficking syndicate, rescue 3 children
The Ebonyi State Police Command has smashed a child-trafficking syndicate operating across the South-East and recovered three abducted children.
The breakthrough followed a painstaking investigation that took operatives from Ebonyi to Enugu, Imo, and Rivers states, uncovering a network allegedly involved in the abduction, sale, and illegal transfer of children.
The Command, in a statement signed by its Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, said the investigation began in May 2026 after Mrs. Ngwe Ukamaka reported the alleged abduction of her two children, a five-month-old boy and an 11-year-old girl.
According to the police, Ukamaka was allegedly deceived under the guise of marriage and taken to Awgu, Enugu State, to meet her purported in-laws.
The children were allegedly taken from her after she was asked to go and get her hair done.
The investigation recorded a major breakthrough on August 14, when police operatives arrested four suspects identified as Agu Okechukwu, Ndidi Kenneth Nwanga, Ugonma Igwe, and Alagba Chinyere.
The suspects were allegedly linked to another child-abduction scheme involving Mrs. Oluchi Onah, who was reportedly deceived into traveling to Enugu for a job opportunity with her two-year-old child.
The Police alleged that while Onah was directed to go and have her hair done, her child was taken away and subsequently handed over to another woman.
The Command said the suspects were exposed after Agu allegedly approached another woman on August 12 with a similar intention of taking her child. The woman reportedly became suspicious and alerted the police, leading to Agu’s arrest and the subsequent arrest of his alleged accomplices.
Following the arrests, investigators traced and recovered Onah’s child, who has since been reunited with the family.
Further investigation took operatives to Okigwe in Imo State, where Mrs. Benedicta Umeh (also known as Nwanyi Okigwe), Obinna Nwankpa, and Mmekadinma Oledibe were arrested.
A three-year-old child was recovered during the operation, with preliminary investigations indicating that Nwanyi Okigwe sold the child to Mmekadinma for N2.5 million.
The investigation also led to the arrest of Favour Chukwu and Ugochukwu Nwankpa, whom police alleged were connected to other child-abduction cases, including one involving a child allegedly taken from a mentally challenged woman in Enugu.
The Command further arrested two suspected accomplices, Ebere Anayo and Chinyere Nwakanma, identified as social welfare officers in Obowo Local Government Area of Imo State. Police said preliminary investigations indicated they allegedly facilitated the handing over of children to people seeking to foster or adopt them.
The investigation extended to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on September 27, where operatives arrested Franca Omire and recovered a baby boy allegedly abducted in May. Police said Omire disclosed that Nwanyi Okigwe claimed to operate an orphanage and work with the welfare office in Obowo. She reportedly told investigators that she paid N2.5 million in July 2026 and was subsequently given a document purportedly showing that she had legally adopted the child.
The Command stated that efforts are ongoing to recover the 11-year-old child allegedly abducted in the first case and handed over to another person.
The Commissioner of Police in the Ebonyi State Command, CP Hope Urunwa Okafor, commended the operatives for their diligence and professionalism in uncovering the syndicate and recovering the children.
Okafor assured the public that the Command would pursue all persons connected to the cases and ensure that those found culpable face the full weight of the law.
She also urged prospective foster and adoptive parents to conduct proper due diligence through appropriate government agencies before taking custody of any child, warning them against relying solely on individuals, informal arrangements, or documents purportedly issued by private persons.