The Abia State Police Command on Sunday said it has rescued all the four missing children allegedly stolen in Umuahia, the state capital.
The spokesperson of the Command, Maureen Chinaka, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen on Sunday.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that one of the mothers had earlier reported the alleged abduction by an unidentified tenant to the police on December 16, 2023.
The children, belonging to three different parents, were identified as Joy Udoma (Female – three years), Ogbonna Udoma (Male – six years), Chioma Kingsley (Female – five years) and Miracle Ikechukwu (Female – five years).
However, Chinaka, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, stated that two of the children were rescued on December 22, while another two were rescued on Sunday.
She said that the police successfully apprehended one Ifeoma Abonyi, a 35-year-old female in Asaba, Delta State, who had been identified as the hitherto unknown tenant responsible for the abduction of the four children.
The Police Public Relations Officer revealed that a total of eight suspects: five females and three males, were currently helping with the investigation into the crime.
According to her, three other persons suspected to be complicit in the crime are still at large.
Chinaka said: “We are intensifying efforts to ensure their arrest soonest.
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“Meanwhile, investigation is ongoing to determine the real status of six other children that were found in the custody of the arrested suspects.
“This might entail the conduct of DNA tests, as some of the suspects are claiming that the children are their biological offspring.”
Chinaka assured that the outcome of the investigation would be made open as soon as possible.
