Police Arrest Child-Stealing Syndicate, Rescue 8 Children In Anambra

Police detectives attached to the Anambra state Command in collaboration with the State Intelligence
Bureau (SIB) on September 13, arrested five members of a child-stealing and trafficking syndicate in the state.

The suspects are; Janet Gideon, ‘f’, 22 years old, of 12, Irete Street, Owerri, Imo State; Mrs Joy Lazarus, ‘f’, 40 years old, of 138, Urata area, Aba, Abia State; Gideon Bobby Godspower, ‘m’, 26 years old, of Port-Harcourt, River State; Wisdom Ndubuisi, ‘m’, 26 years old, of Chokosho Village, PH, Rivers State, and Chukwudima C. Nwogu, ‘m’, 29 years old, of 138, Urata Area Aba, Abia State.

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Confirming the arrests, Anambra State police public relations officer, SP Haruna Mohammed, said the suspects specialise in child-stealing, child-snatching and trafficking from different parts of the country. He said they carried out their operations mainly in the Southeast and Southsouth geo-political zones.

Mohammed said;

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the children (five boys and three girls) were stolen from Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo, Abia and Anambra states, after which they were sold to the kingpin in Abia State. Upon interrogations, the suspects voluntarily confessed that they usually steal the children and bring to their sponsor, one Mrs Joy Lazarus, ‘f’, of Urata in Abia State, who allegedly buys the children between N200,000 and N400,000, depending on their ages and genders.”

He also disclosed that in addition to child-stealing and trafficking, the said sponsor, Mrs Joy Lazarus, also ‘lures under-aged girls into getting pregnant, and buys the babies from the girls immediately after delivery’.

“So far eight children of various age brackets were rescued from the syndicates, including an 18-months-old-baby recently snatched from the parent at gunpoint at Orlu, Imo State, as well as a 15-year-old-pregnant girl. The children are currently in protective care and will be handed over to the Social Welfare Department for custodial care,” he added.

Meanwhile, the state commissioner of police, CP John B. Abang, enjoined members of the public whose children were either stolen or missing to report at the Onitsha Area Command for proper identification and claim.