No fewer than four children in Akwa Ibom State have regained freedom while they were being trafficked by syndicates who engages in trading children in the state.
They regained freedom after policemen attached to the Akwa Ibom Police Command intercepted the traffickers operations in different locations, following credible intelligence received by the law enforcement officers.
During the operations, the four victims, who were rescued in two batches, were reunited with their families after six individuals suspected traffickers were apprehended in the state.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Timfon John, disclosed these developments during a parade of the suspects on yesterday.
âOn 14/01/2025, at about 0150hrs, operatives of the command, acting on credible intelligence, arrested one Roseline Dennis and one Sunday Udo Ekong both of Ikwen village in Obot Akara LGA. The suspects abducted two children (names withheld), aged four and two years, both pupils of the St. Joseph Catholic School, Ikot Ofon Ikono. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects planned to transport the victims to Umuahia, Abia State, to sell them. Thankfully, the victims were rescued and reunited with their families. The suspects will face prosecutionâ, the PPRO said.
The PPRO also revealed that another set of child traffickers had been arrested for trafficking two children aged between 11 and 12 years, from Ikot Edibom Village, Nsit Ubium LGA, and Mkpatak Village, Essien Udim LGA
âIn a related development, another set of suspected child traffickers from Abia State, named, Okwondu Nkpurunna, Vivian Izima Chamdin, Okozie Amarachi, and Christina Emmanuel Onyechi, have been arrested.
âThese suspects were caught trafficking two children (names withheld), aged 11 and 12 years, from Ikot Edibom Village, Nsit Ubium LGA, and Mkpatak Village, Essien Udim LGA, respectively. The victims, rescued unhurt in Abia State, will soon be reunited with their families while the suspects will be charged to court accordingly,â the statement added.
