By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has apprehended a 63-year-old woman, identified as Ngozi Muotuanya of Awkuzu-Oba, alleged to be the mastermind of an interstate child trafficking syndicate.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday, August 12, by the State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the suspect was arrested by operatives attached to the Oba Division on August 11 following credible intelligence.
Preliminary investigations revealed that sometime in 2024, the suspect allegedly stole a male child, aged about one year, in Minna, Niger State. She was said to have sold the boy to an unsuspecting buyer in Anambra State, only to later resell the same child to another person.
According to the Police Spokesman, the case took a new twist on August 4, when the second buyer, upon discovering that the child had been stolen, returned him to the suspect. Rather than returning the boy to his family, Muotuanya allegedly abandoned him at an unidentified church in Minna. The boy was, however, later rescued by the Leader of the Igbo Community in the area, who has since been caring for him.
The Anambra Police Command further confirmed that it has passed vital information about the child’s current custodian to the Niger State Police Command to facilitate his recovery and reunification with his parents, as well as to initiate other necessary legal actions.
SP Ikenga further disclosed that the suspect will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Awka for discreet investigation and subsequent prosecution. He reiterated the Command’s commitment to clamping down on all forms of child trafficking and urged the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities to security agencies.
The arrest is the latest in the Command’s sustained efforts to tackle child theft and trafficking in the state, especially in Oba and its surrounding communities, where similar cases have been reported in recent months.
