Imo State Police Command has rescued two children stolen from Enugu state in Owerri, the Imo state capital where they were allegedly hidden by a child trafficking syndicate.
The kids and another victim were found under the care of a medical doctor.
Parading members of the syndicate which included the medical Doctor yesterday, CSP Mike Abatam, who addressed journalists on behalf of the Statute Commissioner of Police, Me Yaro Abatam, disclosed that Kingsley Ehiedu, allegedly abducted the two children of his neighbour, Ossau Johnson, under the pretext of going to buy them meat pie and Ice cream at Shoprite in Enugu.
According to Abatam:
“On May 19, Mrs Ossai Johnson, of Ngwo by Phinomar Road in Enugu, reported a case of missing children at the police Anti kidnapping Unit, Enugu. That his neighbour, Kingsley Ehiedu, of Ngwo Step, Enugu left with his two children, Ebuka Ossai and Oluomachi Ossai of the same address to Shoprite Enugu to buy them meat pie and ice cream. When it became dark and she didn’t see them she had to report.”
Abatam said that preliminary investigation revealed that Ehiedu, ran away with the children to Awomama in Oru East LGA of Imo state.
He said that Imo State Police Command was immediately contacted and operatives swung into action.
He said: “In the process, Ehiedu, was arrested and his house was searched and the police recovered N200,000, one Airtel Sim card, nose mask, three bunches of keys and six GSM phones. When he was interrogated, he confessed to having taken the stolen children to Dr Innocent Onwudike, of Unity Hospital Awomama, Oru East LGA of lmo State. On getting there, the doctor has taken the children to his sister’s residence in Owerri and had bargained to pay N1 million for the kids.
He later took the police team to his sister Mrs. Precilia Ada Oluaha’s residence on 27 Ngor- Okpala Street Owerri.
” The children and another victim, Ugonma Okerie Ruth, 4, were rescued in the house. The investigation is still in progress to arrest other members of the syndicate. “
