In a breakthrough in the fight against child trafficking, the Abia State government has successfully rescued two out of three siblings who were kidnapped in Ikwuano Local Government Area of the state.
ABN TV gathered that the children, aged between 4 and 8, were abducted on May 10, 2024, while returning from school.
According to Hon. Osinachi Nwaka, the Mayor of Ikwuano Local Government Area, security operatives traced the children to different locations in Anambra State, with one found in Ekwulobia and the other in Nkpor, Onitsha. Two of the siblings have been reunited with their family, while efforts are ongoing to locate the remaining child.
In a shocking twist, a Reverend Sister has been arrested and is currently in police custody for her involvement in the child trafficking syndicate.
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According to Hon. Nwaka, the syndicate operates by charming or bewitching children and selling them to “motherless babies’ homes,” where they are bought by agents for various purposes, including money rituals, organ harvesting, or adoption by families.
The Mayor made the revelation on Tuesday when members of the Abia State chapter of the Online Media Practitioners of Nigeria (OMPAN) paid him a courtesy visit at the local government headquarters in Ikwuano.
He thanked the governor of the state, the Commissioner of Police, and heads of security agencies in the state for their resilience in ensuring that the children were safely returned to the state and reunited with their families, assured that the remaining one would soon be found and returned to the state as security agencies intensify their search, using available information within their disposal.
The Mayor who believes that there are child-trafficking cartels involved in the kidnapping business in Abia State, solicited the cooperation of OMPAN members and the general public to unravel the masterminds of the illicit trade in order to bring them to book for a safer Abia.
“There are syndicates in every local government that trade on children. It amazes me that a man that bought one of the first boy paid N1.8m to buy life.
“So those syndicates pick the children, by charming or bewitching them and move them to the so-called motherless babies home, and from there, those agents will come and buy them.
“They do this for three reasons; either for money rituals, organ harvesting, or for families that are looking for children.” Mayor Nwaka said.
On the part of a reverend sister that played a role in the abduction and illegal sale of the children to the prospective buyers, Nwaka said “Immediately we got the first person, the rest of the information started leaking out, to our surprise, it will amuse you that a Reverend Sister is among this cartel.
“A Reverend Sister is the middle person that distributes the children and collects her cut, she’s wearing white and still in state CID till today.” Mayor Osinachi said.
He pleaded that OMPAN should use their platforms to sensitize parents not to leave their children unwatched and educate school proprietors or school heads on the danger of sending children out of school due to failure of their parents to meet up with the payment of tuition fees.
This he warned makes the children to be exposed to danger and fall in the arms of these child traffickers.
Mayor Osinachi also advised that OMPAN should give the government of Governor Alex Otti and his team needed credit where they get it right and criticize constructively where they don’t get it right to achieve a better and prosperous Abia.
“The least they should do is to call the parents and tell them not to bring the child to school the following day instead of sending the child away. Or they should have a place where you can quarantine them to be, after school time they can come and take them.” Mayor Osinachi said.
Responding to the quest by the Mayor, the Chairman of Abia OMPAN, Chief Promise Uzoma Okoro, commended the state government for its efforts in combating child trafficking and promised the organization’s support in synergizing with the government to ensure the safety of children in the state.
The rescue of the two siblings and the arrest of the Reverend Sister is a significant milestone in the fight against child trafficking in Abia State.
