From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
A lady about 40 years old who claimed to be a corps member has vanished with two primary school pupils, Miss Chinaza Nwachukwu and Ngozi Nwibo at Nwezenyi Junction in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The woman, identified as Ms Blessing Francis was said to have committed the act on Monday, January 22, barely 24 hours after she reportedly packed into a new apartment in the area.
According to Mrs. Precious Nwachukwu, mother of one of the victims, the suspect who dressed in white T-Shirt and black leggings, rented a one-room apartment in their compound on Sunday before the sad incident.
She said that the lady introduced herself as a corps member newly posted to the area, and was shown a room by the landlord. She paid for six months and hurriedly brought in a mat, an empty bucket and some yards of carpet as if her mission was genuine. To their chagrin, the lady disappeared with their two children the following day.
“After the transaction with my landlord, I called the woman and enquired about her full identity but being a criminal, she was economical with the truth.
After much persuasion, she simply told me that she was an indigene of Abia State married to Afikpo in Ebonyi State,” Nwachukwu said.
Continuing, Nwachukwu said that she returned from work the following day, then left for Nwezenyi market square around 6:00pm for a little shopping and upon her she discovered that the purported corps member had disappeared with the two children: Chinaza and Ngozi.
The distressed woman further said that the cash transaction made by the suspect revealed that she (abductor) bears Mrs. Orji Nta.
She said that her family reported the matter to the police at both the Iboko divisional headquarters and the state command, Abakaliki.
Her neighbour, Mrs Nkechinyere Nwibo, whose daughter was also kidnapped, said that she came across the suspect for the first time that fateful Sunday when the woman came out from her newly-rented apartment.
Nwibo recounted: “The following day, the woman was busy with some books as if she was preparing a lesson note and shortly after she was surrounded by some children who watched films in her Smartphone; but because I didn’t have the slightest inkling about her plans, I wasn’t apprehensive of any evil until after she ran away with the children.”
She also disclosed that before the sudden disappearance of the woman, she had instructed the children to wash their legs properly and accompany her to the junction to buy something. She did not know that it was the fake corps member’s ploy not to raise any suspicion.
Miss Nwibo’s uncle, Mr. Fred Akpatu, said that they went to the Corper’s Lodge in the area and discovered that the suspect’s purported two names: Blessing Francis and Orji Nta, were not in the corps members’ register.
Sunday Sun learnt that the children, Chinaza Nwachukwu, a Primary 2 pupil of Divine Grace Academy and Ngozi Nwibo, Primary 1 pupil of Nwezenyi Junction School, were yet to be found at the time this report was filed. The landlord of the building (names withheld) is reportedly in police custody over the matter.