Police operatives in Anambra have arrested a 63-year-old woman, Ngozi Muotuanya, over her alleged role in the disappearance and resale of a one-year-old male child.
The suspect, said to be from Awkuzu-Oba, was apprehended by officers attached to Oba Division on August 11 after credible intelligence linked her to cases of missing children in Oba and neighbouring communities.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Awka.
“In a decisive move to unravel the mysterious disappearance of children in the state, especially in Oba and its environs, Police Operatives attached to the Oba Division on Aug.11 acting on credible intelligence, apprehended one Ngozi Muotuanya, a female from Awkuzu-Oba, aged 63-year-old.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that sometime in 2024, the suspect allegedly stole a one-year-old male child, in Minna, Niger and sold him to an unsuspecting member of the public in Anambra.
Read also: Power minister denies building mansion during ministerial tenure
“The said suspect later resold the child to another person. However, on Aug.4, the receiver, upon realising that the child had been stolen, returned him to the principal suspect.
“The suspect, in turn, allegedly abandoned the child at an unascertained church in Minna, where he was rescued by the leader of the Igbo community in Minna,” he said.
Ikenga stated that the command has forwarded information regarding the child’s custodian in Minna to the Niger State Police Command.
He said police would facilitate possible recovery and reunification with the child’s parents, as well as take other necessary actions.
He added that the suspect will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Awka for a thorough investigation and subsequent prosecution.
