Breaking: Anambra police rescue 12 children stolen from Gombe

Anambra State police command has arrested some suspects who allegedly stole 12 children from Gombe State, Nigeria.

SP Haruna Mohammed, the state command’s public relations officer, who disclosed this in a statement, said on the 22/10/2019 following intelligence report, police detectives attached to Anambra State Command arrested three female suspects at Nkpor Market/Tarzan Junction in Idemili North LGA of Anambra State.

He said investigation revealed that the children were stolen from Gombe State by one Hauwa Musa on 20/10/2019 and brought to her accomplices in Anambra State. Following the announcement by the command on the 27/10/2019, parents of two kids came from Gombe State to Awka and identified their children.

Meanwhile, the children have since reunited with their parents and suspects were handed over to Gombe State Police Command for further investigation and prosecution.

Upon interrogation, the suspects voluntarily confessed that they usually steal the children and bring to their sponsor, one Mrs Nkechi Odinye, who buys the children in Anambra State at the rate of between N200,000 to N400,000 depending on their age and gender.

Mohammed, however, said on 31/8/2020, following the confession and while acting on a tip-off, police detectives attached to 3-3 Division Onitsha in collaboration with operatives attached to the Command Special Anti-Cult Section (SPACS) stormed the hideout of the principal suspect, Nkechi Odinye, aged 55 years and arrested her at Obosi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The suspect who evaded arrest for over three years has remained on the run, changing locations until her arrest.

The team equally rescued 12 children of various age brackets, comprising of eight boys and four girls reasonably suspected to have been stolen from different parts of the country under her custody. The children are presently under protective care and investigation is still ongoing.

In view of the foregoing, the Commissioner of Police, Mr John Abang, urged parents and guardians to always monitor their children and caution them against following strangers.

The CP further enjoined the public whose children were either stolen or missing to report at 3-3 Police Station, Onitsha for proper identification and claim their children.