Mr and Mrs Mba |
The police at Ilemba
Hausa, Ajangbadi Division, Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, have arrested four
suspects who allegedly steal or buy children from Lagos and sell in the eastern
part of the country.
The suspects include a couple, Mr. and Mrs.
Chibueze Mbah, Mrs. Benedict Ogbonna and Mrs. Patricia Mbogu, who allegedly
bought one of the stolen children.
The suspects were arrested following a complaint by
a resident of Jakande area of Ajangbadi, Mr. Caleb Ezeaka, of an alleged kidnap
of his son, Uchenna Ezeaka, by Mr. and Mrs.Mbah.
It was learnt that Mr. Ezeaka reported to the
police that his neighbours, Mr. and Mrs. Mbah absconded with his 4-year old son
when they came to buy sliced boiled cassava in his house.
He alleged that the couple bought the item for N50
and gave him N100 but they didn’t wait for their change. Instead they left with
twoof his children and later sent his elder son to come and collect their
change.
Ezeaka said he told his son to go and call his
younger brother, but when he got there, the couple had packed out of their
house with his four-year old son.
Investigation by the police led them to Ikot Ekpene
in Akwa Ibom State where the 27-year old Chibueze Mbah and his 23-year old wife
Adaeze Mbah were arrested.
It was gathered that the couple told the
police that they had sold Uchenna to Mrs. Ogbonna at Asaba in Delta State,
southsouth Nigeria.
The police proceeded to Asaba where Mrs. Ogbonna
was arrested. During interrogation, Mrs. Ogbonna allegedly confessed that she
buys and sells children to barren women and that she has sold Uchenna to
Mrs.Mbogu at Obosi in Anambra State.
Investigation by the police also revealed that the
suspects had earlier stolen two kids identified as Goodluck Amechi, 3, and
Promise Amechi of same parents in Imo State and sold to the same Mrs.Ogbonna
Mrs. Ogbonna led the police to Obosi in Anambra where Mrs.Mbogu was arrested
and the three children were recovered in one church and Goodness Motherless Home
in the state.
Adaeze Mbah, who is pregnant, alleged that it was a
girl who brought Goodluck and Promise to her and said the children were orphans
and had no one to take care of them. She said that was why they sold the two
kids to Mrs. Ogbonna at N200,000 each.
Adaeze told said hat when Uchenna came to their
house, her husband asked her who he was and she told him that the boy was their
neighbour’s child and he suggested to her that they should sell him to Mrs.
Ogbonnat and she obliged.
Adaeze also confessed that Mrs. Ogbonnan had
already approached her husband to sell her unborn baby and that her husband has
been putting pressure on her to allow Mrs. Ogbonna buy the child.
Mrs. Ogbonna told said that she sold Goodluck and
Promise for N400,000 and N300,000 respectively while she sold Uchenna for
N600,000.
Mrs.Mbogu, who bought one of the babies, claimed
that she has been married for long but has no child, saying that it was her
friend that introduced her to Mrs.Ogbonna when she confided in her. “So when I
called Mrs. Ogbonna she said that she can help me. After a week she called me
and said she has found one for me. That was all,” said Mrs.Mbogu.
Mrs Ogbonna and Patricia |
The stolen kids |
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