EBONYI: POLICE REUNITE STOLEN BABY WITH MOTHER, ARREST TWO SUSPECTED KIDNAPPERS
REPORTER: AMECHI ODO
Police in Ebonyi State have rescued a three-year-old-boy, simply identified as Testimony, who was kidnapped from River State and sold #800,000 to a man in Enugu State.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Chris Anyanwu, while reuniting the baby with his mother at the state Police Command Headquarters Abakaliki, explained that the boy was taken away from his mother’s residence in Port Harcourt by a neighbour whose name was given as Precious.
He stated that the said Precious thereafter demanded for ransom and subsequently sold the boy to a woman trafficker in Afikpo, Ebonyi State, who inturn sold the boy to a man in Enugu State.
The Police Public Relations Officer further said the suspected kidnapper and her cohort were arrested by the police in Amudo Ezza South Local Government Area, while attempting to steal another baby, pointing out that it was during investigation that they confessed to have stolen Precious in 2021.
“They lured one Confidence to a Guest House in Amudo with the ill-plan of stealing her one year, three months’ old baby. On arrival, the suspects took her and the child to Makossa Guest House where they offered her pepper-soup with agidi laced with drugs.
“However by share stroke of luck, a serious quarrel ensued between the suspects and in the midst of that, Confidence picked the lad and escaped. While loitering about at night time, men of the local vigilante at Amudo, Ezza South, intercepted her.”
“When the case was reported to the Police Command, a team of detectives swung into action and arrested the duo who confessed that they drugged the food offered to Confidence with marijuana with the intention of knocking her off and stealing the baby for the purpose of selling him.
“The female suspect, Precious further confessed that in 2021, she gave birth to a baby boy which they sold to a Nurse in Rivers State at N300,000. That on realizing that the price was meagre, they went back to ask for more money but the Nurse declined, stating that she merely connected them to the buyer. As a result, the suspects planned and stole the Nurse’s male child of 3yrs and 11mnths called Testimony.
“They handed the child over to one Ann Mma Elechi, a 45yr old woman of Evuma Compound, Mater Road, Afikpo North who in turn sold the child to one Frank Egwu of No 2 Nze Nwokolo Str. Otuukwu Obinagu, Enugu at N800,000,” the police spokesman narrated.
The Mother of the boy, Mrs. Theresa Nweke, in an emotion laden voice, thanked the police for rescuing her child whom she described as her only hope.
Meanwhile, the police said the suspects would be arraigned in court after further investigations.
EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU
