In a breakthrough against cross-border child trafficking in Southeast Nigeria, the Ebonyi State Police Command has smashed an organised crime syndicate, arresting multiple suspects and rescuing three abducted children illegally handed over under the guise of fake adoptions.
The major operational success was confirmed in an official press statement issued in Abakaliki on Thursday by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu.
According to SP Ukandu, the illegal transactions began unraveling following a distress report lodged in May 2026 by a victim, Ngwe Ukamaka.
She reported that her two children, a five-month-old baby and an 11-year-old, were snatched through a calculated scheme.
“The complainant reported that individuals deceiving her under the pretext of marriage lured her to Awgu, Enugu State, to meet her purported in-laws,” the police statement revealed.
“While there, the suspects asked her to go and style her hair, using her absence as a window to abscond with her two children.”
As operatives launched a manhunt, the syndicate struck again using a remarkably similar modus operandi.
On August 14, 2026, police detectives apprehended four key suspects: Agu Okechukwu, Ndidi Kenneth Nwanga, Ugonma Igwe, and Alagba Chinyere.
Investigations revealed that the group had targeted another victim, Oluchi Onah, deceiving her with a fake job offer in Enugu before tricking her into taking her two-year-old child along.
“Upon arriving in Enugu, Ndidi took custody of the child while directing Agu to take Mrs. Onah to a salon under the guise of getting her hair done,” the police spokesperson stated.
“Agu subsequently abandoned the mother at the salon and rejoined Ndidi to finalize the illicit transfer of the toddler to an eager buyer.”
The syndicate’s luck ran out on August 12, 2026, when Agu attempted to execute the same strategy on another woman. Growing suspicious of his intentions, the alert mother raised an alarm, leading to Agu’s immediate arrest and the subsequent collapse of his network.
Painstaking intelligence work subsequently enabled detectives to trace and rescue Onah’s two-year-old child, who has since been safely reunited with her family.
Information extracted during interrogations pushed detectives across state lines to Okigwe, Imo State, where operatives raided a hideout and arrested Benedicta Umeh (popularly known as Nwanyi Okigwe), alongside Obinna Nwankpa and Mmekadinma Oledibe.
During the raid, police recovered a three-year-old child whom preliminary investigations revealed had been sold by Nwanyi Okigwe to Mmekadinma for N2.5 million.
The sting operation expanded further, netting two additional key operatives: Favour Chukwu and Ugochukwu Nwankpa. The duo allegedly facilitated child snatching in Isu Community, Onicha Local Government Area, and executed another shocking abduction in Enugu.
During police interrogations, the suspects confessed to drugging a vulnerable mother around the Holy Ghost area in Enugu.
“The suspects admitted that the baby belonged to a mentally challenged woman in Enugu,” police sources disclosed.
“They secretly laced her food with sleeping pills and stole her baby while she was asleep.”
The investigation also exposed institutional compromise within social services. Police arrested Ebere Anayo and Chinyere Nwakanma, two Social Welfare Officers attached to the Obowo Local Government Area of Imo State, for allegedly facilitating fraudulent documentation to legitimize illegal fosterings and sales.
Further tracking on September 27, 2026, took operatives to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where one Franca Omire was arrested, and Ukamaka’s five-month-old baby boy (abducted in May) was successfully recovered.
During interrogation, Omire claimed she was duped into believing the transaction was legitimate.
“Mrs. Benedicta Umeh told me she operated a genuine orphanage working in tandem with the Obowo Social Welfare Office,” Omire reportedly told investigators. “In July 2026, I paid ₦2,500,000 and was given official-looking adoption paperwork.”
The Ebonyi State Police Command confirmed that intense efforts are ongoing to locate and rescue the remaining 11-year-old child stolen from Ukamaka in May.
The Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Command, CP Hope Urunwa Okafor, commended the operatives for their professionalism and doggedness in exposing the syndicate.
“The Command will remain relentless in pursuing every individual connected to these heinous acts,” CP Okafor affirmed.
“Anyone involved in child stealing and human trafficking in Ebonyi State will face the full weight of the law.”
The Police Command urged members of the public seeking to adopt or foster children to strictly adhere to official legal channels through authorised government ministries, warning prospective parents against relying on informal arrangements, private intermediaries, or dubious paperwork
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