The police in Anambra State say they have rescued 10 stolen children who were locked inside an apartment in Onitsha, a community in Onitsha North Local Government Area of the state.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ikioye Orutugu, disclosed this during a press briefing at the Anambra State Police Command Headquarters in Awka on Monday.
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The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, forwarded a text of the press briefing to PREMIUM TIMES.
Arrest of the suspects, rescue of the children
Mr Orutugu said the police command in the state received a report on 28 July 2024 about a six-year-old boy who went missing in the Onitsha Area.
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He said that following the receipt of the report, the police began monitoring a male suspect, Odinakachukwu Okorie.
The police chief said that on Thursday, the command subsequently received a second report that another five-year-old girl had gone missing in the same area.
He said police operatives attached to 3-3 Divisional Police Headquarters consequently arrested Mr Okorie on Saturday after gathering evidence about his activities.
Mr Orutugu said the suspect, upon his arrest, confessed to being a member of a child stealing and trafficking syndicate before mentioning a female suspect, Ifunanya Ogbonna, as part of the syndicate.
He said the confessions led to the arrest of Ms Ogbonna and another male suspect, Daniel Ikebuilo, said to be a fake doctor.
The police commissioner said the arrest of the suspects led to the rescue of 10 children, including the two children earlier missing in the area.
He said the rescued children were between five and eight years old.
The police chief said Mr Okorie and Ms Ogbonna confessed that they had perfected their plans to flee with the five-year-old girl to Abuja.
Mr Orutugu said the 10 children, who were looking malnourished, were rescued from an apartment in the Inland Town Area of Onitsha by the police operatives.
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“Ifunanya also confessed to having sold the (five-year-old girl) child for N1 million to Mr Daniel,” he said.
“This achievement highlights the importance of community-police collaboration and intelligence gathering in combating child trafficking.”
The police commissioner appealed for assistance from the state Ministry of Women Affairs for accommodation, medical attention and care to help the children recover from the ordeal.
He asked parents looking for their missing children to visit the state police command to identify and reunite with them.
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