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Authorities apprehended the head honcho of the infamous abduction ring, known for targeting young ones and snatching them from their families within the region.
DSP Joshua Ukandu, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), conveyed this information in a statement shared with reporters in Abakiliki on Tuesday.
According to the statement, on January 21, 2024, a report was lodged by Nkwuda Francis to the command, detailing the abduction of two young children from his residence in Nwezenyi Igbeagu, Izzi LGA of Ebonyi State by a woman named Mercy Francis, who misrepresented herself as a youth corps member and had rented a room within the compound.
According to him, further inquiry disclosed that the two youngsters, aged three and seven, respectively, were indeed taken by an individual named Ngozi Blessing Abia, whose actual identity turned out to be the suspect.
Following a diligent investigation by officers attached to the Gender Unit of the Command, the suspect was located at Oba, Anambra State, where the children were rescued and returned to their family,” he stated.
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Revealing further, Ukandu said that similarly, one Mrs. Lovina Iwuorah and Mrs.Ndifereke Wisdom Clement, 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-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.
“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, fraternise 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.
