Anambra State Police Command has uncovered a child trafficking ring in an apartment located at Inland Town, Onitsha, arresting three suspects, including a fake medical doctor.
The operation led to the rescuing of ten malnourished children aged between 5 and 8-year-old.
Commissioner of Police (CP) Ikioye Orutugu, made this known during a press briefing on Monday.
According to him, officers from the 3-3 Divisional Headquarters acted on intelligence and arrested Odinakachukwu Okorie (male), Ifunanya Ogbonna (female), and Daniel Ikebuilo (male), a fake doctor, in the apartment.
The police had been monitoring Odinakachukwu following a report of a missing 6-year-old boy on 28 July, 2024.
Further investigations led to his arrest on 13 February, 2025, after another 5-year-old girl was reported missing in the same area.
During interrogation, Odinakachukwu implicated Ifunanya as an accomplice. The two later confessed to planning to take the 5-year-old girl to Abuja.
Ifunanya also admitted to selling the child for one million naira (₦1,000,000) to Daniel Ikebuilo. Acting on further intelligence, the police rescued eight additional children from an apartment in Inland Town, Onitsha.
The State Police Command has sought assistance from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to provide custody, medical care, and rehabilitation for the rescued children.
The police also urged families searching for missing children to visit the command for identification and possible reunification.
CP Orutugu praised community members for their cooperation and emphasized the importance of public vigilance in fighting child trafficking. He assured that the suspects would be prosecuted according to the law.
