Anambra Police Rescue Trafficked 6-Year-Old, Arrest Suspects for Child Trafficking and Defilement

The Anambra State Police Command has rescued a six-year-old child allegedly stolen and trafficked to Ondo State, and arrested multiple suspects linked to child trafficking and sexual violence.

Police spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Awka. He said operatives at the Command’s Gender Unit carried out the rescue following intelligence-led investigations into a case of conspiracy, child stealing, and trafficking.

According to Ikenga, the child was recovered from an alleged foster parent and has since been reunited with his biological mother. The suspects have been charged before the Children, Sexual, and Gender-Based Violence Court for prosecution.

In a separate case, the Command confirmed the arrest of 18-year-old Uchenna Nweke for allegedly defiling an 11-year-old girl in Ebenebe, Awka North Local Government Area. Police operatives from the Rapid Response Squad in Awkuzu apprehended the suspect on August 13 after he reportedly forced his way into a bathroom where the victim was bathing.

Medical reports confirmed the assault, and the case is set to be charged in court on Wednesday, August 20.

Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to protecting children and other vulnerable groups, stressing that perpetrators of such crimes would face the full weight of the law.

These incidents add to a growing list of child trafficking and sexual violence cases recently reported in Anambra State. In July, police arrested a 45-year-old man in Onitsha for allegedly defiling his 10-year-old stepdaughter. In June, two toddlers were rescued from a suspected trafficking syndicate in Nkpor, Idemili North, while in April, a baby stolen from a maternity ward in Nnewi was recovered in Imo State.

Similarly, a schoolteacher in Aguata was arraigned in May for allegedly molesting two of his pupils.

Civil society groups have consistently called on security agencies to intensify efforts against trafficking networks and strengthen community surveillance to curb these crimes.