Police arrest 12 members of gang that kidnap kids for sale

12 members of a child trafficking gang have been arrested
by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence
Response Team (IRT).

6 kids were rescued from the suspects following their arrest in
differents states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

One of the suspects and a mother of two, Ebony stole several kids
from their homes in Abia, Enugu and Edo states with her lover Emmanuel
Onyekwere and in turn sold them to their buyers some of whom were
identified as Blessing Nwankwo, Chioma Nike and one Onwa for N250, 000
and 450,000.

The couple were busted after stealing two kids from Tunga Maji and
Gwagwa areas of Abuja respectively who they sold to Nike for N300,000
each.

One of the fathers of the missing kids, Olobo filed a complaint with
the police, after which the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu,
directed his operatives at the IRT headed by Deputy Commissioner of
Police Abba Kyari, to go after the suspects.

Recounting how the incident occurred, Olobo said Ebony and her
husband Emmanuel rented an apartment in the compound he lives in with
his family. He said Ebony who got close to his wife after staying in the
compound for one week, pretended to be helping her carry their
1-year-old daughter on the day of the incident. It was gathered that the
lady who claimed she wanted to plait her hair after a shortwhile,
disappeared with the little girl and her lover thereafter.

The Nation reported that when she was arrested with Emmanuel in
Asaba, Delta State capital, she blamed joining the child trafficking
gang on not acquiring proper education.

Ebony said;

 “I didn’t attend secondary school because my father married two
wives and he couldn’t send me to school because he has so many children
he couldn’t take care of.

“I was married off to an old man at a very young age  but the old man
died two years  into our marriage. We had two children together.  With
time, things became difficult for me and my children after the death of
my husband. I took my children to my mother in the village and 
travelled to Abuja and went into prostitution.

“I spent seven years as a prostitute in Abuja. One of my friends then
advised me to relocate to Oba town in Anambra State, deceiving me  that
I would make more money doing prostitution in that town.

“I took the advice and relocated but one year into my stay, a girl
known as Ogula  from Benue State told me that a nurse told her to look
for someone to get her pregnant and whenever she put to bed,  that the
child would be taken from her and she would  be paid.

“I told her I can’t do such a despicable thing because I too have two
children and I was not ready to get pregnant again. She then asked me
to follow her to her village and when we got there, the girl then stole a
girl child and gave her  to me. While I was leaving with the child, I
was arrested by some security men  and I was taken to prison where I
spent six months.  This incident was in 2017. While in prison, I met one
Ada, who had finished serving her term and she gave me her number while
she was leaving.  I called her when I was released and she gave me a
job at her shop in Umuahia Abia State, where  she sells drinks.   One of
her customers, known as Onwa, approached me and said he had contacts of
people who could buy children between the ages of one and three.

“I then informed one Chibuzor, who is a brother to Ada, who stole a
child and we gave it to Onwa.He took the child away and refused to pay
us our money. At that time, I  had already gotten a boyfriend known as
Emanuel Onyekwere. Onwa then contacted me  three months later .

“He pleaded for forgiveness and said he would pay me N500,000 for any
child between the ages of one and two. My boyfriend,  Onyewkere, then
went to his village and stole his sister’s two-year-old  child and we
contacted Onwa, but this time, we followed him down to Enugu State,
where the child was sold to an old woman driving a Toyota Camry and she 
paid us the sum of  N250,000. Onwa warned us against  stealing children
on the road because whenever we were   caught, we would be burnt.  He
advised  that we should move  regularly  to  new areas,  rent an
apartment and when we see a child, we should steal the child  and leave
the area. So, we went to Akuke area of  Enugu and we rented an
apartment; we succeeded in stealing two children between the ages of 
two and four  from a guy known as Oyenka,  who maltreated me while I
worked as a prostitute in Abuja.

“Onyeka was a very rough guy when I knew  him in Abuja and  it was
the police who chased him out of Abuja. Unfortunately, I ran into him in
Enugu.  He was happy and  introduced me to his wife and we became
friends.

“I visit them regularly in their house and I became familiar with
their children, Ada and Chinonso. I studied their terrain for three
months and when I discovered that the coast was clear, I made away with
the children  and sold them to Onwa for N450,000 each.

“Then, Emmanuel and I relocated to Abuja and we rented an apartment
at Tungamaji area of the city. We stole a woman’s child who was our
neighbour. The woman left her child in my care while she went to the
market and I and Emmanuel quickly packed our things and fled with the
child. We then sold the child to one Chioma, who we met through Onwa,
for the sum of N300,000.   We then rented another apartment at  Gwagwa
area of Abuja. We  stayed for two weeks and I stole a one year-old baby
and sold the baby to Chioma for N300,000. We then left Abuja and ran to
Ipoba Hill area of Edo State and rented an apartment. There, we stole a
child belonging to a sick woman, who could not pay proper attention to
her child.

“The child used to come to our own compound to play. So, I stole the
child, took her to Chioma, who paid us the sum of N300,000.  “We spent
much of this  money on food, clothes and other frivolities. Before we
were arrested, my boyfriend and I had decided to quit but  there was
this woman known as Blessing who contacted us and requested for five
children between the ages of one and two years.I gave her a bill of
N2million and she paid instantly. Since we had decided to quit, Emmanuel
and I used the money to rent a two-bedroom flat, furnished it and we
removed our sim cards. So, Blessing couldn’t reach us anymore.  My
children are between  17 and 16. If they are stolen I will not be
happy.”

On his own part, Emmanuel said he joined the child trafficking gang to raise money to erect a building for his mother.

He said;

“ I am a tailor. I am not yet married and I didn’t go to school.  It
was Ifeoma, who I met where she was working as a prostitute,  who lured
me into this business of stealing and selling off children. Things
weren’t good for me and my family has no house in the village but she
assured me that the business would fetch me money to build a house for
my mother.  Then, I went to my village and stole my sister’s son,
Victor, and we sold him to an old woman who accosted us at Holy Ghost 
Church in Enugu State.  I pretended I was praying when we got to the
church; I didn’t want anyone to notice what we were doing because the
boy looked so much like me.  I was paid N250, 000.

“People knew I was the last person seen with  the child  and they
have been calling me to bring their child.  They have even threatened to
kill me if I don’t bring back the child.  Onwa  then took me to a
native doctor, who prepared fake charms for me that would make my people
and he took the N250,000 I was paid for the child.  I then recruited
one of my friends known as Aboy when we moved to Enugu State and he
stole three children from his village and two from Enugu and we sold
them for N900,000.  I stole a total number of eight children and I am
crying because I can’t go to my village and all the money I made I can
not to anything with it.  If not for this Ifeoma that got me into this
business, I wouldn’t  have been in this mess.”

Also confessing to the crime, Chioma Nike recalled losing her
marriage of 22 years because she had no child. She disclosed that she
got impregnated by a Ghanaian man, after which she gave birth to a boy.
However after her son began asking for a sister, she approached the
child welfare office in Umuhaia so she could adopt a girl child.

Chioma said it was at the facility that she met one Mummy Ohabiam,
who told her that she would link her to a syndicate that could help her
get children from a different source and all they needed to do was to
perfect adoption papers from the welfare office.

She said;

“She told me the cost and I couldn’t afford it,  then I contacted one
Mummy Idian Emeka, who had approached me earlier for  two children. She
said: “After I got the link, I got two children from Ifeoma and  I sold
them to Mummy Idian for N800, 000 and I got N200,000 as my share. 
Ifeoma also sold four other children to me, which I sold to several
people.  I have returned three and I am yet to get the last one.  I sold
two of the four children to one to Mummy Onyiyechi, and they have been
returned.  I sold one other  to Mummy Blessing and other one was sold to
one  Monica.  Please, have mercy on me.  I will not do it again. All my
colleagues in this business have all run away. Please have mercy on
me.”

Sharing her own story, Blessing said;

“I have worked in several hospitals and I have a maternity home. I
have been trying to get approval and registration for my maternity home
for a long time but I couldn’t get it.” “I went into buying and selling
of babies through the  wife  of our catcheist, who had no child for a
long time and she had been saving money for a child. I contacted Chioma,
who brought a girl and the child that was one year old  and we paid her
the sum of N550,000; but I took N800,000 from the catcheist’s wife and I
made N300,000 as my profit.

“Later on, Chioma brought Ifeoma to me and told me she (Ifeoma) owned
a home in Enugu State and if I knew anyone who needed a child for
adoption, I should contact her. I then contacted some of my relations
and friends who were looking for children and they paid me the sum of 
N2million for five children, with the promise that I will bring my
relatives to Enugu to perfect adoption documents for the children after
the payment had been done, but they disappeared when they got the
money.  Their phone lines were switched off and I didn’t even know that
Ifeoma had links with the first child that was sold to me. It was when I
was arrested that I knew that the children were stolen.”

52-year-old Idian Kalu from Abiriba in Abia State, said;

 “ I have four child children  and I  reside in Aba town. I have a
friend who is barren and she was looking for a child and I promised to
help adopt a child for her  at the welfare. Then, I linked her to
Chioma, and she started coming to my house. She told me there was an old
woman who had a home where we can adopt children.

“I indicated interest and she brought a child for me and I gave the
child  to my sister who needed him and the sum of N550,000 was paid for
the child, though I took N650,000 and I made N100,000 profit. That was
in 2016.  But in 2017, Chioma called again and said two children, both
girls, were available for adoption. I contacted people who had told me
that they  needed them and I took the girls and paid Chioma the sum of
N550,000 each.”