Monday, December 2, 2024 - The Rivers State Police Command has cracked down on a child trafficking ring, rescued four children, and arrested a woman, Esther Anthony, of Rumukwachi Community Port Harcourt, who allegedly stole the victims from their home in Bayelsa State.
The spokesperson of the command, DSP Grace Iringe-Koko, who
disclosed this in a statement on Monday, December 2, 2024, said another
suspect, Purity Silas, was also arrested in connection with the case.
Anthony was further identified by another family as the same person who
had stolen three of their children in the Rumuodara area of Port Harcourt and
sold them to a nurse, Loveth, who runs a maternity home.
According to the PPRO, the children, aged one to thirteen years, were
lodged at Alaeze Guest House in Rumukwachi, Port Harcourt, and were intended to
be handed over to the nurse, Loveth.
“The Guest House Managing Director grew suspicious of Esther Anthony's
activities and refused to let her check out with the children, demanding that
the mother be present,” the statement read.
"Esther Anthony left and returned with police officers, falsely
claiming that the Guest House Manager had abducted the children and threatened
her with a gun. However, the Managing Director contacted the Choba Area
Command, and officers arrived to arrest Anthony.
"Preliminary Investigations revealed that Esther Anthony had
conspired with someone named Favour to traffic the children from the Swali
Community in Bayelsa State.
"Another suspect, Purity Silas, was also arrested in connection
with the case. Notably, Esther Anthony was identified by another family as the
same person who had stolen three of their children in the Rumuodara area of
Port Harcourt and sold them to Loveth.
"All suspects have confessed to the crime. The case has been
transferred to State CID, Port-Harcourt and suspects are currently in police
custody. They will be charged to court upon completion of the
investigation.
“This case highlights the ongoing efforts of the Rivers State Police
Command to combat child trafficking and ensure justice for victims and their
families, Meanwhile the children have united with their family members.”
Meanwhile,
in a video posted by Rivers journalist, Allwell Ene, the eldest of the children
said the woman told them she was taking them to her child's birthday.
Police rescue 4 children, arrest 2 suspects as they uncover child trafficking syndicate in Rivers (VIDEO) pic.twitter.com/4y8s7zKHSn
— DAILY POST 🇳🇬 (@dailypost_ng) December 2, 2024
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