Police rescue ‘18 stolen children’ in Abia, arrest 10 suspects

The police command in Abia says its operatives have arrested 10 suspects for alleged conspiracy and child theft.

In a statement, Maureen Chinaka, Abia police spokesperson, said the suspects were arrested when operatives invaded their locations.

Chinaka said on September 24, the police division in Ohuru Isimiri received a report that a man allegedly lured a woman and her two children from Ebonyi state to Abia state under the pretext of marriage.

The police spokesperson said when the woman arrived in Abia, the man allegedly took her two children away while she was not around.

“On arrival in Aba, the man asked her to get food for herself and the children while he stayed with the children. On her return, she did not see the man and her children, and all efforts to reach him proved abortive,” the police spokesperson said.

“Acting on credible and actionable intelligence, officers of the command on 08/10/2025 stormed a residence where stolen children were suspected to be kept, and apprehended five suspects.”

The police rescued eight stolen children during the raid.

The Abia police spokesperson added that on Thursday, operatives stormed another residence along Aba/Owerri road, where stolen children were kept.

Chinaka said four suspects were arrested and ten stolen children were rescued during the raid.

The police identified the suspects as Best Ndubusi, Charles Enyinnaya, Eunice Ezekiel, Nnena Kalu, Gideon Esther, Obiegbunam Von, Ezeoma Rejoice, Ngozi Owoh, Favour Ernest, and Brittney Oyemuwa Zion.

Danladi Isa, the state commissioner of police, urged the people of Abia to remain security conscious, ensure proper supervision of their wards and children, and promptly report any suspicious persons or activities to the nearest police station or through the command’s emergency hotlines.