Police arrest four members of ‘child trafficking syndicate’, rescue three in Imo

The Imo state police command has arrested four individuals suspected of involvement in child trafficking, rescuing three abducted children in the process.

The suspects, believed to be part of a syndicate responsible for recent abductions in the state, were paraded on Monday at the command’s headquarters in Owerri, the capital.

Henry Okoye, the state’s police spokesperson, said the arrests followed a raid by detectives from the state criminal investigative department (CID), which led to the rescue of the children.

However, the exact date of the arrests and the location of the raid were not disclosed.

Okoye said the children were abducted on July 4 while playing outside in Ndinwegbu Umuoma, a community in the Onicha area of Ezinihitte-Mbaise LGA.

He said three of the suspects — Ifeoma Anyanwu, 41, Chibuzor Lucky, 42, and Charity Kalu, 24 — are from Abia state, while the fourth suspect, Isidore Ozioma, 56, is an indigene of Onicha area of Ezinihitte-Mbaise LGA of Imo state.

“Investigations revealed that the suspects lured the children into their tricycle and transported them to Aba, Abia State, where they sold them for N1,000,000,” Okoye said.

“Prompt action from the police led to the rescue of the children and apprehension of the suspects,” he added.

Okoye noted that the suspects are undergoing thorough investigation at the state CID, with efforts ongoing to locate and rescue other missing children.

Responding to the incident, Imo state police commissioner, Aboki Danjuma, urged parents and guardians to be vigilant and take measures to safeguard their children from strangers.