Police Rescue 11 Children, Arrest Woman in Interstate Child Trafficking Crackdown

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a female suspect and rescued eleven abducted children in a coordinated operation with officers from the Adamawa State Police Command.

The suspect, 43-year-old Uche Okoye, was apprehended on July 15 in Uruagu, Nnewi, Anambra State, following an intelligence-driven operation by detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Awka.

According to SP Tochukwu Ikenga on Friday, the operation was in response to ongoing investigations by the Adamawa State Police into a widespread interstate child trafficking syndicate.

According to police sources, the children, five boys and six girls aged between three and six were reportedly abducted from Adamawa State. Preliminary investigations indicate the children were being trafficked and sold to unsuspecting individuals seeking to adopt. The price reportedly ranged from N1.5 million for each boy to N800,000 for each girl.

The rescued children have been handed over to the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Shuaibu Wara, who is leading the Adamawa Command’s investigation team. Authorities say efforts are ongoing to trace the children’s biological families and facilitate their safe return.

Speaking on the incident, Commissioner of Police Anambra State, CP Ikioye Uche Orutugu, fwc MNIPS PhD, commended the professionalism and swift response of both commands. He pledged continued collaboration with other state commands to dismantle trafficking networks operating across Nigeria.

The CP also issued a stern warning to individuals and couples seeking to adopt children, urging them to follow due process and avoid involvement in illegal adoption channels.

The Police say information provided by the arrested suspect is being pursued to locate and arrest other members of the child trafficking syndicate.