Anambra Police Rescue Trafficked 6-Year-Old in Ondo, Arrest Suspects for Child Trafficking and Defilement
The Anambra State Police Command has rescued a six-year-old boy allegedly stolen and trafficked to Ondo State, while also arresting suspects linked to separate cases of child trafficking and sexual violence.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Awka, the state capital. According to him, operatives attached to the Gender Unit, acting on intelligence-led investigations, traced the missing child to an alleged foster parent in Ondo and successfully recovered him.
“The rescued child has since been reunited with his biological mother, while all the suspects arrested in connection with the case have been charged before the Children, Sexual, and Gender-Based Violence Court for diligent prosecution,” Ikenga said.
In a separate incident on August 13, 2025, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad in Awkuzu responded to a distress call from Ebenebe community in Awka North Local Government Area. Police officers arrested an 18-year-old suspect, identified as Uchenna Nweke, who allegedly forced his way into a bathroom where an 11-year-old girl was bathing and defiled her.
“Further revelations from the medical report confirmed the suspect’s culpability. The case will be charged to court on Wednesday, August 20, 2025,” the police spokesperson added.
Ikenga noted that the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, reiterated the Command’s commitment to safeguarding children and other vulnerable persons. He emphasized that perpetrators of child trafficking and sexual violence would not go unpunished.
The recent developments highlight the increasing concerns over child exploitation in Anambra State. In July 2025, police in Onitsha arrested a 45-year-old man for allegedly defiling his 10-year-old stepdaughter.
In June, operatives rescued two toddlers from a suspected trafficking syndicate in Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area, where the children were allegedly being prepared for illegal adoption. Earlier in April, a baby stolen from a maternity ward in Nnewi was tracked and recovered in Imo State after weeks of investigation. Similarly, in May, a schoolteacher in Aguata was arraigned before the Children, Sexual, and Gender-Based Violence Court for allegedly molesting two pupils.
Civil society groups have consistently urged security agencies to intensify efforts to dismantle trafficking syndicates and improve community surveillance systems to protect children from exploitation.
