Police Rescue Newborn, Dismantle Child Trafficking Ring in Anambra

The Anambra State Police Command has rescued a newborn baby and arrested four women over alleged child trafficking in Ifite-Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area.

Police spokesperson SP Tochukwu Ikenga disclosed this in a statement issued in Awka on Tuesday, noting that operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, acted on credible intelligence to carry out the operation in the early hours of the day.

According to Ikenga, the officers raided a facility identified as Mama Maternity in Ifite-Awkuzu, where they rescued a one-week-old baby girl and apprehended four female suspects linked to a case of conspiracy and child trafficking.

Those arrested were identified as 62-year-old Elizabeth Okafor, 48-year-old Esther Nweke, 45-year-old Ngozi Maanfa, and 25-year-old Peace Elijah Moses.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects conspired to purchase the newborn for ₦1.7 million. An advance payment of ₦350,000 was allegedly made to the baby’s biological mother, identified as Peace Elijah Moses, who is among the arrested suspects.

Ikenga confirmed that the rescued baby is now in protective custody, while the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, has directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department’s Gender Unit in Awka for further investigation and prosecution.

He reaffirmed the Command’s firm stance on child protection and its ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking across the state.

This development follows a similar operation in July 2025, when the Command uncovered an interstate child trafficking network in Uruagu, Nnewi North LGA, leading to the arrest of one suspect and the rescue of 11 children — five boys and six girls — who were reportedly abducted from Adamawa State and sold to unsuspecting adopters for amounts ranging from ₦800,000 to ₦1.5 million.