Eight children have been rescued from child-snatching, stealing and trafficking syndicate in Anambra State.
The Police operatives stated that the children were stolen from different States and people including a fifteen-year-old pregnant girl.
In a statement released by the Anambra State Public Relation Officer for Commissioner of Police Anambra State Command, Haruna Mohammed, said the arrest was made on September 13th following an intelligence report.
The statement reads below;
On the 13/9/2020 following intelligence report, Police detectives attached to Onisha Area Command in collaboration with the Command State Intelligence Bureau(SIB) arrested Five members of a Child Stealing/Trafficking syndicate as follows,
(i). Mrs Joy Lazarus ‘f” aged 40years of NO. 138 Urata area Aba, Abia State,
(ii) Janet Gideon ‘f” aged 22years of No. 12 Crete Street Owerri, Imo State,
(iii) Gideon Bobby Gods power’ aged 26years of Port Harcourt in River State,
(iv) Wisdom Ndubuisi ‘m’ aged 26yrs of chokosho Village PH, Rivers State and,
(v) Chukwudima C. Nwogu’s’ aged 29years of No. 138 Urata area Aba, Abia State.
2. Suspects specialise in child-snatching, child stealing and trafficking from different parts of the country especially South-East and South-South geo-political zones.
3. Preliminary investigation revealed that the children (five boys and three girls) were stolen from Rivers Bayelsa, Imo, Abia and the Anambra States both at gun points and through stealing after which they were sold to the kingpin in Abia State.
4. Consequently, upon interrogation, the suspects voluntarily confessed that they usually steal the children and bring to their sponsor one Mrs Joy Lazarus ‘f’ of Urata in Abia State who allegedly buys the children at the rate of between two hundred and four hundred thousand (#200-400,000) naira depending on their age and gender.
5. Further investigation also revealed that in addition to Child Stealing and trafficking, the same sponsor Mrs Joy Lazarus also lure underage girls into having pregnancy after which she will buy the children from them immediately after delivery. So far Eight Children of various age brackets were rescued from the syndicates including years and half old baby recently snatched from the parent gunpoint in Orlu, Imo State, as well as a 15years old pregnant girth investigation, is still ongoing after which all the suspects would be brought to book.
6. Meanwhile, all the children are in protective care and would be handed over to the social welfare department for custodial care. In view of the foregoing, the Commissioner of Police *CP John B.AbanFDCdc* urges parents and guardians to always monitor their children and caution them against stranger s.
The CP further enjoins the Public whose children were either stolen or missing to report at Onitsha Area Command for proper identification and claim their children.”
