The Enugu State Police Command on Tuesday said it arrested two members of a child stealing and trafficking syndicate.
It added that two children, a one-year-old and a four-year-old, were rescued from the suspects.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Enugu.
Ndukwe said the two suspects identified as Miracle Orji (24) and Blessing Ani (34) were arrested in different locations in the state by operatives attached to the command’s Special Weapons and Tactics on March 24, 2023.
According to him, the operatives busted the child stealing and trafficking syndicate following credible information received from the public.
He said, “Preliminary investigation reveals that on March 24, 2023, Miracle Orji stole a child and she was escaping with Ogechi Edeh before she was intercepted and arrested with the assistance of citizens at Ameke-Oduma Community in the Aninri Local Government Area of the state.
“Her confessional statement led to the arrest of Blessing Ani around Shoprite Mall, Enugu, where she was waiting to receive and further traffic the child.”
Ndukwe added that during interrogation, Ani confessed to having been involved in child trafficking since 2017.
She was said to have guided the operatives to Abuja, where the male victim, Destiny Okechukwu, who had been sold with fake documents and renamed Chibuike, was rescued.
The state police spokesman said efforts were ongoing to arrest other members of the syndicate, adding that the suspects would be arraigned in court after the conclusion of the investigation.