The Ebonyi State Police Command, has
rescued 32 underaged children from traffickers and arrested 3 suspects in Ebonyi
The Command Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Loverth Odah, who disclosed this while parading the suspects along side the rescued 32 victims at the Police B Division in Abakaliki, noted that the suspects allegedly trafficked underaged children from different parts of the country for forced labour and sexual exploitation.
She stated that the victims were rescued following a case of a missing minor that was reported to the police by one Mrs Nwankwo Ijioma who hails from Uterufie village in Ebonyi LGA, who said her daughter, one Miss Nwankwo Childera, aged 14, who left their house in August 2021 had not been seen since.
“on January 7, 2022 at about 9:30am, one Mrs. Nwankwo Ijeoma of Uteruife Village in Ebonyi local government area of the state reported a case of her missing 14 year-old daughter, Nwankwo Chidera”.
DSP Odah said that in the cause of investigation, a company’s advertisment flier captioned “Neo Life” containing a phone number was found in the daughter’s room, adding that the owner of the phone number, one Christian Nwankwo, aged 19 years, was trailed and arrested.
She added that the suspect led police operatives to their hideout at Okposi Umuaghara in Ezza North LGA of the state where two other members of his gang were arrested. She gave their names as, Nwagboduhu Ekene , Male, aged 20 years and Nwaoko Godwin, Male, aged 24 years.
The PPRO further said 16 males and 15 females who are indigenes of Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Benue, Abia and Rivers States were rescued from them.
She added that while victims were rescued in Ebonyi, Chidera Nwankwo was traced to Imo State where she was also rescued.
She said that a suspected trafficker who posed as the company representative tricked Chidera into running away from her parent’s house to Imo State, adding that an apartment was rented for her and other children where she was serially abused sexually.
“Our preliminary investigation revealed that the children are trafficked from different parts of the country and are being used for forced labour and sexual exploitation in the name of networking/Hawking NEO Life company products,” the statement said.
Odah said that so far, the command has a total number of 18 unclaimed children rescued from the suspected traffickers and urged parents whose children are missing to come to the Command headquarters for identification and possible claim.
