How a Four-Year-Old Stolen from Port Harcourt School Was Recovered in Abuja

A four-year-old child, Hope Evans, who was reported missing from a school in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has been successfully recovered in Abuja. According to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, Hope was last seen on October 31, 2024, when his mother, Ms. Lydia Jonah Gabriel, raised the alarm after the child failed to return from school.

The incident occurred around 2 p.m. when Hope, a student at a community primary school in Azube, Port Harcourt, was reportedly lured away by a woman named Blessing Okoi, who offered him biscuits and eggs. The woman, who was unfamiliar to the school staff, managed to take Hope without being noticed. It was only in the evening, when Hope had not returned home, that the family became aware of his disappearance.

Ms. Lydia, along with other family members, visited the school to inquire about Hope’s whereabouts, eventually discovering that the woman who took him was known locally as Destiny’s mum. However, when they visited the suspect’s residence, they found that she had vacated the premises that very night.

The family reported the case to the Trans Amadi police station, and the investigation was handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID). Following suspicions that the suspect had fled to Abuja, the case was also reported to the FCT police command. The FCT Police Commissioner, CP Olatunji Disu, ordered an immediate investigation, which led to the tracking of Blessing Okoi’s movements to Maraba, a suburb in Abuja.

On November 29, after a thorough investigation, police operatives arrested Okoi and rescued Hope. The suspect had initially claimed to be the child’s mother, but her statements were inconsistent with the information provided by the real mother. Hope was reunited with his mother after she arrived in Abuja on November 6, following the child’s safe recovery.