Abia Police Arrest Father, Three Others Over Alleged Attempt to Sell 16-Month-Old Daughter

The Abia State Police Command has arrested a man and three others over an alleged attempt to sell and traffic a 16-month-old girl, who was identified during preliminary investigation as the biological daughter of one of the suspects.

The four suspects were arrested on September 7, 2026, by operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Gender Unit, at a hotel in Obi, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.

The Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Afolabi, disclosed the arrest on Friday while briefing journalists on the achievements of the command since he assumed office on August 10.

Afolabi said the suspects had been transferred from the Central Police Station, Umuahia, in connection with allegations of conspiracy and child trafficking.

He explained that preliminary investigation established that the child was the biological daughter of one of the four suspects.

The commissioner said further investigation indicated that the alleged plan to traffic the child was driven by the desire to make money.

The police rescued the child during the operation and handed her over to the Abia State Ministry of Women Affairs, where she was placed in protective custody.

The four suspects, meanwhile, remained in police custody as investigators continued to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged attempted trafficking and identify any other persons who may have been connected to the case.

The police have not publicly disclosed the identities of the suspects or details of any alleged financial transaction connected with the case.

The arrest comes as law enforcement agencies continue to intensify efforts against child trafficking and the exploitation of vulnerable children in Nigeria. Child trafficking cases can involve complex networks and may require investigations beyond those initially arrested to determine whether other individuals facilitated, financed or benefited from the alleged offence.

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Giving an account of his command’s activities since taking over, Afolabi said the Abia Police Command had recorded more than 152 criminal cases and arrested over 220 suspects.

He said several of the cases had been investigated and charged to court, while police operations had also resulted in the rescue of kidnapped victims and the recovery of weapons and stolen property.

According to the commissioner, the command rescued nine kidnapped victims during the period under review.

Police operatives also recovered 101 rounds of ammunition and cartridges, as well as six stolen vehicles, including tricycles and motorcycles.

Afolabi further disclosed that the command had dismantled two criminal networks as part of its efforts to reduce kidnapping, armed robbery and other forms of violent crime across the state.

One of the major operations highlighted by the commissioner involved the rescue of a medical doctor allegedly abducted by armed men on August 19.

According to Afolabi, the victim was forced into his vehicle during the incident before the abductors fled towards Imo State.

The police commissioner said vehicle-tracking technology, combined with intelligence gathering and coordinated operations by the Abia and Imo State police commands, enabled security operatives to locate the vehicle and rescue the victim in the early hours of August 20.

Several persons allegedly connected to the kidnapping have been arrested, including individuals suspected of assisting with the movement or distribution of ransom money.

Afolabi said police efforts were continuing to apprehend other members of the alleged kidnapping network.

In another operation, the command arrested a suspect allegedly linked to an armed robbery and kidnapping incident along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway in Aba.

The suspect was allegedly apprehended following an incident in which a female victim was robbed of a Toyota Highlander, mobile phones, a handbag and other personal belongings.

The police said investigations into the case were ongoing, with efforts focused on identifying and arresting other suspects allegedly involved in the criminal operation.

Afolabi assured residents that the command would sustain intelligence-led operations and collaboration with other security agencies to tackle kidnapping, armed robbery, child trafficking and other crimes in Abia State.

He also urged residents to provide credible information to the police and other relevant authorities to assist in preventing crime and protecting vulnerable members of the community, particularly children.

The four suspects arrested over the alleged trafficking of the 16-month-old girl remain in police custody while investigation continues. The allegations against them have not been proved in court.

Abia Police Arrest Father, Three Others Over Alleged Attempt to Sell 16-Month-Old Daughter

Police Uncover List of 125 Lagos Traders Marked for Fraud, Kidnapping by Syndicates

No fewer than 125 business owners trading in some of Lagos’ busiest markets have been marked out as potential victims by two suspected fraud syndicates, in what the police have described as a disturbing web of calculated targeting. According to the police, members of the gangs studied successful traders, identified the commodities they dealt in, and devised different schemes to lure them into what appeared to be lucrative business deals. But the operation reportedly went beyond fraud. In some cases, victims were kidnapped and held hostage until their families or associates paid ransom. One such case involved a tyre merchant who, according to the police, was lured to the Aiyetoro-Itele area of Ogun State, where members of one of the syndicates held him captive and collected about N24 million in ransom before releasing him.

The development came to light following the arrest of seven suspected members of two fraud syndicates by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Lagos State Police Command, headed by CSP Sunday Cirman. The breakthrough reportedly came when one of the gangs lured a cloth seller to Ayobo, Lagos, apparently unaware that the police were already closing in. Three members of the gang were arrested in the ensuing operation, leading investigators to uncover a list containing the names of more than 125 business operators lined up for similar schemes. The suspects reportedly described themselves as “local 419” , a Nigerian slang for fraudsters who obtain money or property through deception. A police source said: “The two groups use different tactics but their mode of operation is that they target prospective investors or traders but ended up defrauding them in the process.”

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One of the suspects, 61-year-old Patrick Nwankwo, said the journey into the fraud business began, by his account, with a failed business, the death of his wife and the struggle to survive afterwards. He said: “I was into second hand cloth selling at the popular Katangua Market. At a time, the business failed and at that time, I lost my wife. I used the small money that was remaining with me to bury my late wife. I started as a ‘Caller’. A caller is a person who goes out to identify and speak with our prospective victims. We identify businessmen. After this, we lied to them that someone was in need of large supply of any particular commodity and for them to supply. We usually use bicycle spare parts as the needed commodity. Another member of the gang will serve as the receiver. Once they supplied those items to him, we will disappear from that address. Our base is in Ogun State but we target businessmen at popular markets, including Oshodi, Arena, Idumota, Alaba and Trade Fair markets. We already have our targets and what they sell. We don’t pray for gullible people to finish. Gullible people cannot finish in Nigeria. They want to get very rich quick and we take advantage of that.”

Sixty-year-old Emeka Obi also said he became involved after falling victim to another gang. According to him: “After serving my boss for six years and I had my own shop, somebody told me that they had drugs in large quantity but, when I got to where I was to get the drugs, I saw large quantity of American dollar. I didn’t know that they were fake. I was asked to deposit the N400,000 that was with me. That was a large money then in 1990. Initially, after collecting my money, they ran away but after they came back, I asked to join them and since then I have made more than the N400,000 that I lost to them. I used to be a caller but now I am old. I only allow them to use my office for their operations and I get only ten percent of whatever they get from their victims.”

Another suspect, 47-year-old Charles Okeke, a shoemaker in Aba, Abia State, said the journey followed a failed attempt to travel abroad. He said: “I joined the syndicate in 2018, when I was duped, while trying to travel out. One Mr Eze took me to Ghana. He promised to take me to Europe or America but abandoned me in Ghana. I started looking for something to do. I met some Nigerians there. I was into shoe making but the money was nothing to write home about. I met a boy, Chukwudi and a Ghanaian, Jojome. They invited me to join them and we duped people, under the guise of washing money for them. They lured people with gold. Later my mother died and I had to come back to Nigeria for her burial. When my family saw my situation, they advised that I should not return to Ghana. They said that I was not doing well. Because of hardship, my wife left with my two children. It was while I was looking for what to do that I met Emeka, through one of our town brothers, who was also into the fraud business but had quit.”

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Fifty-three-year-old Emmanuel Ekenta, an indigene of Awka, Anambra State, said he was once a successful businessman exporting plates to Ghana. “I was exporting plates to Ghana then and I was doing well. Problem started, when I was duped at the Togo border. Ghana people and some Nigerians duped me. They lied to me that they wanted to wash dollar for me in 2006. After I was duped, I requested to join them and they directed me to their boss in Lagos. He is the one who taught me how to dupe and I worked with him for six years,” he stated. Ekenta also described the roles played by different members of the group. He explained: “What we do is that one of us, usually the catcher, will pose as a sailor and a foreigner, who just arrived Lagos with goods for sale. We would then tell our prospective victim that he would make huge money by selling these non existent goods. After agreeing to sell the goods, the catcher will pretend to take them to the place, where the goods are kept but instead take them to our base, where we introduce them to dollar washing business. It is the normal thing of telling them that we have dollar but we need chemical to wash it. They will be asked to pay for the chemical. That is how we collect money from them. There is also usually the ‘sitter’, who sits at our base. He would corroborate whatever the ‘catcher’ already told the victims. He would lie to them. He would pretend to be the younger brother of the Customs officer that cleared the goods.”

Another suspect, 46-year-old Uchenna Paul, a former foodstuffs seller, said he joined the group after being duped of his master’s money while on a trip from Abia State to Lagos to buy stockfish. For the more than 125 business operators identified as potential targets, the arrests may have disrupted a carefully planned operation. Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the development reaffirmed Commissioner of Police, CP Fatai Tijani’s determination to make the state uninhabitable for criminals. She assured residents that the police would continue to intensify efforts to dismantle criminal networks operating across the state. According to the police, the arrests have provided investigators with further information on the activities of the syndicates, including their methods of identifying potential victims and the roles allegedly played by different members of the groups. Investigations are ongoing.

Police Uncover List of 125 Lagos Traders Marked for Fraud, Kidnapping by Syndicates