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Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Rivers State Police Command yesterday  paraded suspects arrested for involvement in child trafficking and other criminal acts in the state.

Parading the suspects who are mostly women at the Police Headquarters on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, said the command also arrested syndicate responsible for “One Chance” incidence in Port Harcourt and its environs.

 She explained that the child trafficking including a man and two women were arrested by operatives attached to the Ubima Divisional headquarters  for  kidnap of a year-old baby and attempted murder of the mother in a bush in the area.

Iringe-koko further revealed that the arrest followed a complaint from a middle aged woman on August  25, 2024, at about 6.35a.m, indicating that “one Queen Orlu, 20 years was seen lying unconscious in Omeka Farmland at Ucheabuor.”

She said: “Operatives immediately mobilised to the scene where the victim was met in a pool of blood with multiple injuries all over her body and her intestines protruding out of a cut on her stomach.

“Police investigations revealed that the victim was lured into a bush path at Ubima by one Polycarp Uzoma of Akwa in Ohaji LGA of Imo State, but presently resident at Ubima.

“He used a bicycle to convey her to the designated spot and then attacked her, hitting her repeatedly with a stick and a yet-to-be-identified weapon. When she became unconscious, he took her one-year-old baby boy, Desire Orlu and left her for dead,” she said.

The police spokesperson disclosed that  the baby was sold to one Happiness Amadi ‘at N1.4million, “The deal was brokered by one Chinyere Ordu, an acclaimed auxiliary nurse who received the sum of  N800,000 as part payment for the trafficking deal”, adding that three suspects have been arrested and confessed to the crime.

Iringe-koko informed that the Police have recovered the sum of Eight Hundred Thousand Naira and Bicycle as exhibits. While, “the one-year-old baby boy has been rescued and the victim is currently on admission at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital for medical treatment.”

Also paraded were two women who confessed to journalists at the command headquarters that they are “One Chance” syndicates who specialise in luring innocent citizens to their car and later rob them of their belongings.

The police spokesperson revealed that the suspects, who were arrested on September 4, 2024, focus their operations on Garrison axis and other parts of Aba Road. They were arrested alongside their operational vehicle, a purple coloured Volkswagen Golf 3, with registration number RIVERS -ABU 738 LS with six occupants.

One of the suspects, Chinagorom Eze, told the journalists in an interview that she and her team carry on  their operations in Port Harcourt, Warri and Enugu.

Speaking on the incident, Iringe-koko said one of the suspects who engaged the police in gun battle in attempt to escape was fatally wounded.

“This heinous action heightened suspicions of the operatives who then gave the vehicle a hot chase, eventually intercepting the suspects at the Eleme junction just under the bridge.

“The driver and one other escaped, while the Police apprehended three suspects namely Thaddeus Sunday Ogu (42), a native of Orlu Community in Njaba LGA of Imo State and self acclaimed artisan, Chinagorom Eze (35) a native of Ekpija Community in Enugu North LGA of Enugu State and Favour Yusuf (30) and a native of Plateau State, all resident at Oyigbo.

“One of the suspects, Thaddeus Sunday Ogu attempted to evade arrest by opening fire on the Police operatives which led to him sustaining bodily injuries that eventually proved fatal. He was taken to the Police Clinic, Port-Harcourt where he succumbed to his injuries after receiving treatment”.

The PPRO assured the people  that the suspects and recovered exhibits in police custody, will be charged in court at the conclusion of the investigation.