The Ebonyi State Police Command says it has broken up a child-trafficking syndicate that allegedly lured mothers with false promises of marriage and jobs, took their children, and passed them to people seeking to adopt.
Three children have been recovered so far and more than a dozen suspects arrested, including two social welfare officers.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday, 1 October 2026.
The investigation began in May 2026, when Mrs Ngwe Ukamaka reported that her two children, a five-month-old boy and an 11-year-old girl, had been taken from her.
She said she was deceived by people posing as suitors and taken to Awgu, Enugu State, to meet supposed in-laws. There, she was told to go and have her hair done, and her children were taken from her.
The case moved forward in August. On 12 August, a suspect identified as Agu Okechukwu allegedly approached another woman with a similar plan to take her child. The woman grew suspicious and alerted the police, leading to his arrest. By 14 August, three alleged accomplices, Ndidi Kenneth Nwanga, Ugonma Igwe and Alagba Chinyere, had also been picked up.
Police said the group had earlier deceived Mrs Oluchi Onah into travelling to Enugu with her two-year-old child on the promise of a job.
In Enugu, Agu allegedly led her away on the pretext of getting her hair done and abandoned her, while Ndidi handed the child over to another woman. The child has since been recovered and reunited with the family.
Information from the suspects led police to Okigwe, Imo State, where MMrsBenedicta Umeh, also known as “Nwanyi Okigwe”, Obinna Nwankpa and Mmekadinma Oledibe were arrested. A three-year-old child was recovered there. Preliminary investigation indicated that the child had been sold to Mmekadinma for ₦2.5 million.
The arrests also led police to Favour Chukwu, who allegedly gave information about the first complainant’s case and a later abduction of a child in Isu Community, Onicha Local Government Area. Another suspect, Ugochukwu Nwankpa, was also arrested. Police said he and Favour allegedly took a child from Enugu and presented themselves as the child’s parents to social welfare officials.
Under interrogation, the suspects claimed the child belonged to a mentally challenged woman in Enugu. They said sleeping pills were put in her food and the child was taken while she slept near the Holy Ghost area of the city.
Police also arrested Ebere Anayo and Chinyere Nwakanma, social welfare officers in Obowo Local Government Area of Imo State. They are suspected of helping to hand children over to people seeking to adopt or foster.
On 27 September, operatives traced the syndicate to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where Franca Omire was arrested, nd a baby boy abducted in May was recovered. Police said Omire told them that MMrsUmeh claimed to run an orphanage and to work with the welfare office in Obowo. According to Omire, she paid ₦2.5 million in July and was given a document purporting to show that she had legally adopted the child.
The Command said it is still working to find the 11-year-old child who was also abducted by the syndicate and unlawfully handed to another person.
Commissioner of Police CP Hope Urunwa Okafor commended the operatives for their diligence. She assured the public that the Command would pursue everyone connected to these and other abduction cases so that they “face the full weight of the law.”
The Command urged anyone seeking to foster or adopt a child to carry out proper due diligence through the appropriate government agencies. It advised prospective parents not to rely solely on individuals, informal arrangements or documents presented by private persons.
