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From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
The Ebonyi State Command of Nigeria Police Force has arrested a fake youth corps member, Ngozi Blessing, and rescued six children from her.
It was learnt that the suspect’s operational style was to rent an apartment, fraternise with her unsuspecting neighbours, gain their trust and abduct their children for pecuniary gains.
The Police Public Relations Officer for the command, DSP Joshua Ukandu, in a statement, said a certain Francis Nkwuda had reported to the command on January 21, 2024 that the woman, initially identified as Mercy Francis, had kidnapped two children in his house, at Nwezenyi Igbeagu, Izzi LGA, Ebonyi State, after she rented a room in the compound.
He said the children, aged three and seven, were later found to have been taken by Ngozi Blessing, whose true identity was later discovered to be from Abia State. He said following a diligent investigation by officers attached to the gender unit of the command, the suspect was traced to Oba, Anambra State, where the children were rescued and returned to their family.
He said in a related case, Lovina Iwuorah and Ndifereke Clement, mothers whose children had been similarly abducted in Ohaozara LGA of Ebonyi State, also identified the suspect as the conspirator in the disappearance of their three children, aged between one and three years.
Ukandu disclosed that the investigation led the officers to Benin City, where the children were found in an orphanage, adding that the proprietor of the orphanage, already in detention, was providing valuable information to the police.
Additionally, Chinasa Uwezoke from Lagos, having heard about the suspect’s arrest, visited the command and identified the same woman as someone who had gained her trust and subsequently took her three children to the market and fled with her three-year-old son who was later recovered and reunited with his family after being sold by the suspect.
The command then advised property owners and caretakers to thoroughly screen their potential tenants while urging parents to educate their children about safety and stranger interactions.
