Police arrest suspected serial abductor who stole children in four states

The Police Command in Ebonyi State has arrested a woman who allegedly specialises in abducting and selling children.

The police said they rescued no fewer than six of the children from the suspect.

The woman, Ngozi Blessing Abia, also known as Mercy Francis, allegedly carried out her nefarious activities in Lagos, Ebonyi, Anambra and Edo states.

Investigations into her activities began in January 2024 when one Nkwuda Francis reported that the woman, who posed as a member of the National Youth Service Corps, had kidnapped his two young children.

Joshua Ukandu, a deputy suprintendent of police and spokesperson for the police command, said in a statement on Tuesday in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, that the children were later found in Anambra State, where she sold them.

“He complained that his children were kidnapped from his house at Nwezenyi Igbeagu, Izzi local government area of Ebonyi after the suspect rented a room in the compound.

“The children, aged 3 and 7, were later found to have been taken by Ngozi Blessing-Abia, which was revealed to be the suspect’s true identity.

“Following a diligent investigation by officers attached to the gender unit of the command, the suspect was located in Oba, Anambra, where the children were rescued and returned to their family.”

Mr Ukandu added that two women, Lovina Iwuorah and Ndifereke Wisdom Clement, whose children were abducted in Ohaozara, Ebonyi State, had identified the suspect as the conspirator.

He said that she sold their three children to an orphanage home in Benin, Edo.

“The proprietor of the orphanage has been detained and is providing valuable information to the police,” the command spokesperson said.

“Additionally, one Chinasa Uwezoke from Lagos, upon learning of the arrest, visited the command and identified the suspect as someone, who had gained her trust and subsequently took her three children to the market, only to flee with her three-year-old son.”

The command spokesman said that the boy was later recovered from where she sold him and had been reunited with his family.

“The suspect’s modus operandi is to rent an apartment, fraternise with her unsuspecting neighbours, gain their trust and abduct their children for pecuniary gains,” he added.

Mr Ukandu advised property owners and caretakers to thoroughly screen potential tenants and for parents to educate their children about safety and interaction with strangers. (NAN)