By Chinonso Alozie, Owerri

Following recent events Southeast voice conducted an investigation in Owerri, based on the incidences and discovered that those in the dastard act have seen Imo state as a fertile ground for such business.

One of the suspects of child trafficking, Queen Imoh, a Cameroonian arrested by the Imo state Police Command.

It has been observed that child trafficking syndicate arrested and paraded by the Imo police, in most cases while the buyers are said not to be residents of Imo state but the sellers have been identified as natives of Imo state.

By report, the worse of it is that even those from other states who have children to sell move them into Imo state looking for prospective buyers.

Another ugly part of the story, is that young ladies about to deliver their unborn babies, willing to sell them also are being relocated to the state, by the child syndicate group, as a safe heaven untill the time comes for her to deliver.

This is as they also use maids and nannies in different homes to monitor and identify young ladies interested in doing the child trafficking business. Apart from that, they also woo some of them into accepting to sell their babies with an irresistible offer that would change their lives out of poverty.

Southeast Voice also gathered that sells girls at different eateries, restaurants, beer parlours, vulnerable ones have become daily victims of this child trafficking syndicate with a promise to make their lives more better.

One of such cases, is that of a native of Cameroon, Queen Imoh, suspected to have stolen a 6-year-old boy From Nasarawa area of Kaduna state, she travelled such a distance to Imo state, to sell a six year old boy. This child was later recovered.

Also, one Immaculata Edward, a native of Cross River state, said to have abducted five children from Ngor Okpala local government area, and alongside with other suspects took their victims to Abia state, to sell them however, they children were rescued.

In another shocking incident, a six hour old baby was sold for N800,000 just after delivery at a hospital in Nekede, Owerri West local government area, The name of the mother of the baby a 23—year-old woman, was given as Chinenye Oparaocha, alongside other suspects sold the child to a buyer in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.

Still on the child trafficking, a 24-year-old lady her name was given as Esther Anyanwu, said to be from Ikeduru local government area, claimed she was forced out of her home by her families, for refusing to sell her 4 months old baby.

Some of the incidents of child stealing/trafficking as captured by Southeast Voice, started from the Cameroonian lady.

The Police narrated that “On the 13/06/2019, Operatives of the special anti robbery squad SARS, acting on intelligence arrested one Queen Imoh, ‘F’ a native of Cameroon but resides in Kaduna, was arrested with a stolen child, one Naziru Abdulwahab, ‘m’ 6yrs old, at Umuna, orlu

“The said Queen stole the boy from Nasarawa area of Kaduna state, and came brought him down to Imo state to sale him to her partner, but unfortunately for her,the said buyer rejected the boy on the basis that the boy has tribal marks on both side of his head.

“She was consequently arrested based on a tip-off by the locals of the area who suspected that she was not in anyway related to the boy.”

The police said: “She however confessed to the crime and said it was her third time, that the first one she sold was her own son by name Joseph Imoh ‘M’ 2YRS ,for the sum of two hundred thousand naira (N200000).

“The second was one Samuel ‘M’ 1 YR Plus, whom she stole when the mum asked her to help her take care of her son while she rush to buy something, she said she sold him for the sum of two hundred and thirty thousand naira (N230000).

“However, the command in partnership with the Hausa community in Orlu has been able to trace the parents of the said Naziru Abdulwahab, and the boy was handed over to his father Abdulwahab Ya’u.”

On the selling of five children from Imo state to Cross River state the police said: “On 24/4/2019, one Immaculata Edward, a native of Okonde in Cross River State who is a girlfriend to one Ifara Isong resident at Eziama Logara in Ngor Okpala L.G.A visited the said boyfriend, because she was familiar and well known in the area, the children and the neighbors of her boy friend were all fond of her, they left the children in her custody while they went about their business.

“The said Immaculata targeted when her boyfriend went out to buy something and then she stole five (5) children namely Somto Ekeh ‘f’ 6yrs, Kelechi Ekeh ‘m’ 5yrs, Chisom Ekeh ‘f’ 3yrs, Ebuka Enwerem ‘m’ 3yrs, Chioma Enwerem ‘f’ 5yrs And Lucky Idah ‘m’ 6yrs, all children of one Reginald Ekeh ‘m’ and took them to a notorious child trafficker.

“One Perpetual Iwuji from Obokwu Ulakwo in Owerri North L.G.A, who then sold two (2) of the children to one Grace Nwachukwu, another notorious child trafficker who hails from Isiala Mbutu in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A but resident at Mpape Abuja.

“Immaculata also stole two (2) of her uncle’s children from Cross River state and sold them to one Ifeoma Ndubuisi ‘f’ from Lokpanta in Umunneochi L.G.A Abia State.

“However, following intelligence, systematic, thorough and painstaking investigation, all the children stolen from Logara was recovered. Moreover, in the course of the investigation, additional five (5) children were recovered from Perpetual Iwuji and kept in an orphanage home.

“The five (5) children stolen from Logara have been reunited with their families. Meanwhile, one of the two children stolen from Cross River state has been recovered from Ifeoma Ndubuisi and efforts are on top gear to recover the remaining one.”