Soldiers of the 144 Battalion, Asa, Ukwa West Local Government area of Abia state have arrested a 24 year old woman identified as Nkeiru Akwarandu for allegedly attempting to sell two children.
247ureports.com gathered that Akwarandu was arrested by soldiers at Milverton junction, Aba on her way to sell off the two children; Ike Onyekachi and Happiness Godwin Bassey, aged between 6 and 9 years.
While carrying the two teenagers who are of the same father, but different mothers, the suspect was said to have attracted the attention of passengers when the boy started crying and refused to board the tricycle. Nemesis, however, caught up with Akwarandu when passengers suspected that the children may have been stolen and alerted a team of soldiers.
Eyewitnesses told our correspondent that the woman would have been lynched by angry mob but for the timely intervention of soldiers on duty.
“The woman was about to board a tricycle at Park road to Ogbor Hill but one of the children started crying and refused to board. The woman and some passengers tried to persuade the boy to join the woman, thinking that she was their mother, but the boy kept screaming on top of his voice. It was at that point that people knew what was happening and alerted soldiers” the eyewitnesses said.
A soldier who confirmed the incident stated that their investigations revealed that the woman was on her way to Umuafor in Obingwa Local Government area to handover the kids to a yet-to-identified man. However, the suspect and the kids have been handed over to the police for further investigation.
Efforts to contact the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abia State Command, ASP Ogbonnaya Nta, proved abortive as at press time.
