Ebonyi Police bust an alleged child trafficking syndicate, arrest several suspects and rescue three children abducted across four states.
The Ebonyi State Police Command has dismantled an alleged child trafficking syndicate, arrested several suspects and rescued three children allegedly abducted and handed over to prospective adopters.
The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday in Abakaliki, following investigations into reported cases of child abduction and trafficking.
Ukandu said the investigation began in May 2026 after a woman, Mrs Ngwe Ukamaka, reported the alleged abduction of her two children, a five-month-old boy and an 11-year-old girl.
According to the police, Ukamaka was allegedly deceived by a suspect under the guise of marriage and taken to Awgu, Enugu State, to meet her purported in-laws.
While there, she was reportedly asked to go and make her hair, during which her children were allegedly taken away.
The police said that on August 14, operatives arrested four suspects identified as Agu Okechukwu, Ndidi Kenneth Nwanga, Ugonma Igwe and Alagba Chinyere over their alleged involvement in a child trafficking scheme.
The suspects were also linked to another case involving Mrs Oluchi Onah, who was allegedly deceived into believing she was being taken to Enugu for employment.
Ukandu said Onah travelled to Enugu with her two-year-old child, but Ndidi allegedly took custody of the child and instructed Agu to take the woman to a salon.
Agu allegedly abandoned Onah and joined Ndidi, after which they reportedly handed the child over to a woman.
The police spokesman added that Agu had attempted to abduct another woman’s child on August 12 using a similar method. However, the woman became suspicious and alerted the police, leading to his arrest and the subsequent apprehension of his alleged accomplices.
The investigation led to the recovery of Onah’s child, who was subsequently reunited with the family.
Further investigations reportedly linked the suspects to Ukamaka’s case, prompting police operatives to extend their operations to Okigwe, Imo State.
There, Mrs Benedicta Umeh, popularly known as Nwanyi Okigwe, alongside Obinna Nwankpa and Mmekadinma Oledibe, were arrested. A three-year-old child was also recovered.
Ukandu said preliminary investigations indicated that the child had allegedly been sold by Umeh to Oledibe for N2.5 million.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Favour Chukwu, who allegedly provided information about Ukamaka and her children, as well as another reported child abduction in Isu, Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Another suspect, Ugochukwu Nwankpa, was subsequently arrested. Police alleged that he and Chukwu took a child from Enugu and presented themselves as the child’s parents before social welfare officials.
During interrogation, the suspects reportedly claimed that the child belonged to a woman living with mental health challenges in Enugu.
They allegedly admitted that the woman’s food had been laced with sleeping pills before the child was taken while she slept around the Holy Ghost area of Enugu.
The police also arrested two suspected accomplices, Ebere Anayo and Chinyere Nwakanma, identified as social welfare officers in Obowo Local Government Area of Imo State.
According to Ukandu, preliminary investigations indicated that the officers allegedly facilitated the transfer of children to individuals seeking to adopt or foster them.
The investigation further led police operatives to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on September 27, where they arrested Franca Omire and recovered Ukamaka’s five-month-old baby boy, who had allegedly been abducted in May.
Ukandu said Omire reportedly told investigators that Umeh had claimed to operate an orphanage and work with the social welfare office in Obowo.
Omire allegedly disclosed that she paid N2.5 million in July 2026 and received a document purportedly indicating that she had legally adopted the child.
The Ebonyi State Police Command said investigations were ongoing, with efforts intensified to locate and recover Ukamaka’s 11-year-old daughter, who was allegedly abducted and handed over to another person.
The Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State, CP Hope Urunwa Okafor, commended the officers involved in the investigation and assured the public that everyone connected to the alleged trafficking network would be pursued.
The command also advised prospective adoptive and foster parents to conduct proper checks through authorised government agencies and avoid informal arrangements or relying on documents provided by private individuals.
The police said the investigation had uncovered alleged trafficking activities across Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Rivers states.
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