The Police in Anambra State, Wednesday, handed two toddlers kidnapped from Gombe State and rescued in Anambra to their parents.
The children, all boys, aged two and three years, were kidnapped by a child trafficking syndicates on 20th October, while playing outside their homes.
The syndicate comprising of three women were arrested by police in Anambra while making attempt to sell off the children.
The suspects, Ngozi Etisiobi 52-year old from Achina, Faith Okapi 38 years from Ugep, Cross River and Blessing John who claimed she hails from Bauchi were paraded before journalists at the Anambra State Police command.
The two toddlers Yusuf Musa and Mustapha Abdul-Aziz were reunited with their parents; Mr and Mrs Yusuf Musa.
Mr Haruna Mohammed, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Anambra who paraded the suspects before journalists, said that the children after they were rescued could not be reunited with their parents because they were too young to say where they were picked from.
“However, the command received signal from the Gombe State Police Command that the toddlers were stolen from Gombe.
“When the parents arrived from Gombe, Police took them to child welfare centre where the two children were kept, the reaction of the rescued children really showed that the people from Gombe were their true parents,’’ he said.
He disclosed that the syndicates had wanted to sell each of the boys for N750, 000, noting that John who kidnapped the children claimed one of the stolen children was her own, while the other belonged to her late sister.
The PPRO said that Blessing John, the principal suspect moved the children from Gombe to Nkpor near Onitsha before linking Okpai.
The police image maker added that the role of Etisiobi who claimed to be a welfare officer to an undisclosed centre was to contact buyers for the children.
The parents of the children who were overwhelmed with joy for reuniting with their children thanked the Anambra State Police command for their efforts in rescuing their children.
