Police arrest 12 members of gang that kidnap kids for sale

12 members of a child trafficking gang have been arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT). 

6 kids were rescued from the suspects following their arrest in differents states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). 

One of the suspects and a mother of two, Ebony stole several kids from their homes in Abia, Enugu and Edo states with her lover Emmanuel Onyekwere and in turn sold them to their buyers some of whom were identified as Blessing Nwankwo, Chioma Nike and one Onwa for N250, 000 and 450,000.

The couple were busted after stealing two kids from Tunga Maji and Gwagwa areas of Abuja respectively who they sold to Nike for N300,000 each. 

One of the fathers of the missing kids, Olobo filed a complaint with the police, after which the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, directed his operatives at the IRT headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, to go after the suspects. 

Recounting how the incident occurred, Olobo said Ebony and her husband Emmanuel rented an apartment in the compound he lives in with his family. He said Ebony who got close to his wife after staying in the compound for one week, pretended to be helping her carry their 1-year-old daughter on the day of the incident. It was gathered that the lady who claimed she wanted to plait her hair after a shortwhile, disappeared with the little girl and her lover thereafter. 

The Nation reported that when she was arrested with Emmanuel in Asaba, Delta State capital, she blamed joining the child trafficking gang on not acquiring proper education. 

Ebony said; 

 “I didn’t attend secondary school because my father married two wives and he couldn’t send me to school because he has so many children he couldn’t take care of.

“I was married off to an old man at a very young age  but the old man died two years  into our marriage. We had two children together.  With time, things became difficult for me and my children after the death of my husband. I took my children to my mother in the village and  travelled to Abuja and went into prostitution.

“I spent seven years as a prostitute in Abuja. One of my friends then advised me to relocate to Oba town in Anambra State, deceiving me  that I would make more money doing prostitution in that town.

"I took the advice and relocated but one year into my stay, a girl known as Ogula  from Benue State told me that a nurse told her to look for someone to get her pregnant and whenever she put to bed,  that the child would be taken from her and she would  be paid.

“I told her I can’t do such a despicable thing because I too have two children and I was not ready to get pregnant again. She then asked me to follow her to her village and when we got there, the girl then stole a girl child and gave her  to me. While I was leaving with the child, I was arrested by some security men  and I was taken to prison where I spent six months.  This incident was in 2017. While in prison, I met one Ada, who had finished serving her term and she gave me her number while she was leaving.  I called her when I was released and she gave me a job at her shop in Umuahia Abia State, where  she sells drinks.   One of her customers, known as Onwa, approached me and said he had contacts of people who could buy children between the ages of one and three.

“I then informed one Chibuzor, who is a brother to Ada, who stole a child and we gave it to Onwa.He took the child away and refused to pay us our money. At that time, I  had already gotten a boyfriend known as Emanuel Onyekwere. Onwa then contacted me  three months later .

“He pleaded for forgiveness and said he would pay me N500,000 for any child between the ages of one and two. My boyfriend,  Onyewkere, then went to his village and stole his sister’s two-year-old  child and we contacted Onwa, but this time, we followed him down to Enugu State, where the child was sold to an old woman driving a Toyota Camry and she  paid us the sum of  N250,000. Onwa warned us against  stealing children on the road because whenever we were   caught, we would be burnt.  He advised  that we should move  regularly  to  new areas,  rent an apartment and when we see a child, we should steal the child  and leave the area. So, we went to Akuke area of  Enugu and we rented an apartment; we succeeded in stealing two children between the ages of  two and four  from a guy known as Oyenka,  who maltreated me while I worked as a prostitute in Abuja.

“Onyeka was a very rough guy when I knew  him in Abuja and  it was the police who chased him out of Abuja. Unfortunately, I ran into him in Enugu.  He was happy and  introduced me to his wife and we became friends.

“I visit them regularly in their house and I became familiar with their children, Ada and Chinonso. I studied their terrain for three months and when I discovered that the coast was clear, I made away with the children  and sold them to Onwa for N450,000 each.

“Then, Emmanuel and I relocated to Abuja and we rented an apartment at Tungamaji area of the city. We stole a woman’s child who was our neighbour. The woman left her child in my care while she went to the market and I and Emmanuel quickly packed our things and fled with the child. We then sold the child to one Chioma, who we met through Onwa, for the sum of N300,000.   We then rented another apartment at  Gwagwa area of Abuja. We  stayed for two weeks and I stole a one year-old baby and sold the baby to Chioma for N300,000. We then left Abuja and ran to Ipoba Hill area of Edo State and rented an apartment. There, we stole a child belonging to a sick woman, who could not pay proper attention to her child.

"The child used to come to our own compound to play. So, I stole the child, took her to Chioma, who paid us the sum of N300,000.  “We spent much of this  money on food, clothes and other frivolities. Before we were arrested, my boyfriend and I had decided to quit but  there was this woman known as Blessing who contacted us and requested for five children between the ages of one and two years.I gave her a bill of N2million and she paid instantly. Since we had decided to quit, Emmanuel and I used the money to rent a two-bedroom flat, furnished it and we removed our sim cards. So, Blessing couldn’t reach us anymore.  My children are between  17 and 16. If they are stolen I will not be happy.” 

On his own part, Emmanuel said he joined the child trafficking gang to raise money to erect a building for his mother. 

He said; 

“ I am a tailor. I am not yet married and I didn’t go to school.  It was Ifeoma, who I met where she was working as a prostitute,  who lured me into this business of stealing and selling off children. Things weren’t good for me and my family has no house in the village but she assured me that the business would fetch me money to build a house for my mother.  Then, I went to my village and stole my sister’s son, Victor, and we sold him to an old woman who accosted us at Holy Ghost  Church in Enugu State.  I pretended I was praying when we got to the church; I didn’t want anyone to notice what we were doing because the boy looked so much like me.  I was paid N250, 000. 

"People knew I was the last person seen with  the child  and they have been calling me to bring their child.  They have even threatened to kill me if I don’t bring back the child.  Onwa  then took me to a native doctor, who prepared fake charms for me that would make my people and he took the N250,000 I was paid for the child.  I then recruited one of my friends known as Aboy when we moved to Enugu State and he stole three children from his village and two from Enugu and we sold them for N900,000.  I stole a total number of eight children and I am crying because I can’t go to my village and all the money I made I can not to anything with it.  If not for this Ifeoma that got me into this business, I wouldn’t  have been in this mess.”

Also confessing to the crime, Chioma Nike recalled losing her marriage of 22 years because she had no child. She disclosed that she got impregnated by a Ghanaian man, after which she gave birth to a boy. However after her son began asking for a sister, she approached the child welfare office in Umuhaia so she could adopt a girl child. 

Chioma said it was at the facility that she met one Mummy Ohabiam, who told her that she would link her to a syndicate that could help her get children from a different source and all they needed to do was to perfect adoption papers from the welfare office. 

She said;

“She told me the cost and I couldn’t afford it,  then I contacted one Mummy Idian Emeka, who had approached me earlier for  two children. She said: “After I got the link, I got two children from Ifeoma and  I sold them to Mummy Idian for N800, 000 and I got N200,000 as my share.  Ifeoma also sold four other children to me, which I sold to several people.  I have returned three and I am yet to get the last one.  I sold two of the four children to one to Mummy Onyiyechi, and they have been returned.  I sold one other  to Mummy Blessing and other one was sold to one  Monica.  Please, have mercy on me.  I will not do it again. All my colleagues in this business have all run away. Please have mercy on me."

Sharing her own story, Blessing said; 

“I have worked in several hospitals and I have a maternity home. I have been trying to get approval and registration for my maternity home for a long time but I couldn’t get it.” “I went into buying and selling of babies through the  wife  of our catcheist, who had no child for a long time and she had been saving money for a child. I contacted Chioma, who brought a girl and the child that was one year old  and we paid her the sum of N550,000; but I took N800,000 from the catcheist’s wife and I made N300,000 as my profit. 

"Later on, Chioma brought Ifeoma to me and told me she (Ifeoma) owned a home in Enugu State and if I knew anyone who needed a child for adoption, I should contact her. I then contacted some of my relations and friends who were looking for children and they paid me the sum of  N2million for five children, with the promise that I will bring my relatives to Enugu to perfect adoption documents for the children after the payment had been done, but they disappeared when they got the money.  Their phone lines were switched off and I didn’t even know that Ifeoma had links with the first child that was sold to me. It was when I was arrested that I knew that the children were stolen.”

52-year-old Idian Kalu from Abiriba in Abia State, said; 

 “ I have four child children  and I  reside in Aba town. I have a friend who is barren and she was looking for a child and I promised to help adopt a child for her  at the welfare. Then, I linked her to Chioma, and she started coming to my house. She told me there was an old woman who had a home where we can adopt children.

"I indicated interest and she brought a child for me and I gave the child  to my sister who needed him and the sum of N550,000 was paid for the child, though I took N650,000 and I made N100,000 profit. That was in 2016.  But in 2017, Chioma called again and said two children, both girls, were available for adoption. I contacted people who had told me that they  needed them and I took the girls and paid Chioma the sum of N550,000 each."