The Mayor of the Ikwuano local government area of Abia State, Osinachi Nwaka, has revealed that two out of the three siblings who were kidnapped in Ikwuano have been found.
Nwaka disclosed that the two siblings who have since been reunited with their family members were rescued in different parts of Anambra State by security operatives.
This is as the Ikwuano Major revealed that a Reverend Sister what is now in the police custody, was a member of a child-trafficking syndicate in the state.
The Mayor who made the revelation on Tuesday when members of the Abia State chapter of the Online Media Practitioners of Nigeria (OMPAN) paid him a courtesy visit at the local government headquarters in Ikwuano revealed that the incident happened on 10th of May 2024 when the children between the age of 4 to 8 were kidnapped on their way back from school.
The incident, he said gave him sleepless nights, prompting series of meetings with various arms of security agencies under the local government area.
The Mayor narrated that one of the children was traced to Ekwulobia and the other was traced to Nkpor axis of Onitsha, in the same Anambra State.
Two of the three abducted children, rescued by security agencies, according the Mayor, have been reunited with their family.
The Mayor thanked the governor of the state, the Commissioner of Police and heads of security agencies in the state for their resilience in ensuring that the children were safely returned to the state and reunited with their families, assured that the remaining one would soon be found and returned to the state as security agencies intensify their search, using available information within their disposal.
The Mayor who believes that there are child-trafficking cartels involved in the kidnapping business in Abia State, solicited the cooperation of OMPAN members and the general public to unravel the masterminds of the illicit trade in order to bring them to book for a safer Abia.
“There are syndicates in every local government that trade on children. It amazes me that a man that bought one of the first boy paid N1.8m to buy life.
“So those syndicates pick the children, by charming or bewitching them and move them to the so called motherless babies home, and from there, those agents will come and buy them.
“They do this for three reasons; either for money rituals, organ harvesting, or for families that are looking for children.” Mayor Nwaka said.
On the part of a reverend sister that played a role in the abduction and illegal sell of the children to the prospective buyers, Nwaka said “immediately we got the first person, the rest of the information started leaking out, to our surprise, it will amuse you that a Reverend Sister is among this cartel.
“A Reverend Sister is the middle person that distributes the children and collects her cut, she’s wearing white and still in state CID till today.” Mayor Osinachi said.
He pleaded that OMPAN should use their platforms to sensitize parents not to leave their children unwatched as well as educate school proprietors of school or school heads on the danger of sending children out from school due to failure of their parents to meet up with the payment of tuition fees.
This he warned makes the children to be exposed to danger and fall in the arms of these child traffickers.
Mayor Osinachi also advised that OMPAN should give the government of Governor Alex Otti and his team needed credit where they get it right and criticize constructively where they don’t get it right with the goal of achieving a better and prosperous Abia.
“The least they should do is to call the parents and tell them not to bring the child to school the following day instead of sending the child away. Or they should have a place where you can quarantine them to be, after school time they can come and take them.” Mayor Osinachi said.
Responding to the quest by the Mayor, Chief Promise Uzoma Okoro, Chairman of Abia OMPAN, assured Mayor Osinachi that as part of the watchdog of the society, OMPAN is ready to synergize and not a stooge of the government and OMPAN is ready to partner with the Mayor and criticize the government where necessary, for a better Abia.
