The Enugu State Police Command has made a significant breakthrough in the fight against child trafficking, rescuing six stolen and trafficked children and arresting 10 suspects connected to both local and transnational child trafficking networks. The arrests were made following a series of coordinated operations carried out between June 30 and July 16, 2025.
According to the command’s spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, the operations were part of the command’s ongoing efforts to curb child theft and trafficking across the state. Among the rescued victims were a one-year-and-seven-month-old male child and a 14-year-old girl who had been trafficked to Ghana. The police operatives worked closely with Neighbourhood Watch members to identify and apprehend the suspects.
One of the arrested suspects, Chiaha Josephine, a 64-year-old woman, confessed to buying two of the rescued children, Loveth Mfonobong, a 16-year-old girl, and Benjamin Alex Okon, a 12-year-old boy, for a total sum of N2.3 million. Josephine allegedly bought Loveth in 2021 for N900,000 and Benjamin in 2024 for N1,400,000. The suspects, including Josephine and her alleged accomplice, Ozomma Christopher Ubanagum, a 67-year-old man, will be arraigned in court after investigations.
The police command is working to apprehend other members of the syndicates at large and ensure that they face justice. The rescue of the six children and the arrest of the 10 suspects are a testament to the command’s commitment to combating child trafficking and protecting the vulnerable in society.
The Enugu State Police Command’s efforts to combat child trafficking are ongoing, and the command is urging anyone with information about child trafficking activities to come forward and report to the police. With the command’s determination to tackle this menace, there is hope that the incidence of child trafficking in the state will reduce significantly.
