Maureen Wechinwu
Saturday September 3, will forever remain one of the happiest days in the life of Mrs Dodo Godwin. It was the day she was reunited with her nine-year-old son, Prosper, two years after he was kidnapped with two of his friends at the Market Square in Ikpazasia, Bayelsa State on October 29, 2020.
But Dodo and her son were not alone in the moment of ecstasy. Mr. Emeka Edeze, a trader at Creekroad Market in Port Harcourt, was also reunited with Nmasichi Eze, an eight-year-old girl kept in his care, four months after she went missing. Nmasichi was said to to have been sent on an errand by her guardian to another part of the market where he owns a grains shop when she was abducted.
Prosper and Nmasichi were two of the 16 kids rescued from the camp of Maureen Wechinwu, a suspected child trafficker disguising as a Reverend Sister in Aluu, Ikwerre Local Government Area, by men of the Rivers State Commissioner of Police Monitoring Unit on September 3. The operation was led by Mrs. Grace Nwowo, a Chief Supretendent of Police (CSP), who is also a Lawyer.
The fate of Prosper’s two friends kidnapped with him at Ikpazasia remains yet unknown as their abductor, who apparently specialises in supplying children to human traffickers, is believed to have sold them to another camp different from Wechinwu’s.
Aluu, a university community, has made the headlines for the wrong reasons in recent years. Between 2012 and 2013, the community was constantly in the news for the gruesome killing of four undergraduates of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) accused of stealing a mobile phone and laptop computer; an allegation that was later proven to be false.
It was also in the same community that a renowned activist and human rights lawyer, Ken Asuwete, was attacked and killed by some gunmen in 2013. He was in the team of lawyers insisting on justice for the murdered UNIPORT four. Several other heinous crimes in the state have also been linked to the community even though it also hosts a mega church with rising profile of charitable acts.
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Speaking with our correspondent in a telephone interview, Prosper’s mother, Mrs. Dodo Godwin recalled her traumatic experience for the two years her son went missing and how the long spell of sorrow and tears was brought to an instant end with his return home.
“My son Prosper, who the kidnappers renamed Gerald, was seven years old when he was kidnapped at Ikpazasia Market on October 29, 2020. He is nine years old now.
“He was kidnapped with two of his friends. It was on the day of Endsars protest in Bayelsa State and they were at the market square when they went missing. We searched everywhere for them without any success.
“When all the failed we made to find them failed, we went to report the incident at Ekeki Police Station. Unfortunately, it was during the Endsars protest, so the police could not do anything immediately. They however promised to look into the case once the situation was calm.
“When we had lost all hope in the police, I went spiritual, going from one church to another. In the course of visiting churches, a prophet told me to stop searching because my son was dead.
“He told me that I should come to terms with the truth and reality that I would never see my son again because he had been killed and I was only searching for a dead person.
“But somehow, I kept my hopes alive and continued to search for him, praying to God for a miracle.”
Asked what her son told her about his experience in the custody of his abductors, she said: “According to my son, the self-acclaimed Reverend Sister sold him to a couple in Lagos State.
“After six months with the family, he opened up to the woman that he was kidnapped from Bayelsa State and that his parents were alive in Bayelsa. He pleaded with the woman to help him go back to his parents.
“After hearing my son’s story, the woman contacted the so called Reverend Sister who came and took him back to Port Harcourt.
“On getting back to Port Harcourt, the suspect quickly sold him again to another family in Owerri.
“After staying in Owerri for a while, he also told the family his story and also begged them to help him reunite with his real family. The family in Owerri also called the suspect to come and take the boy back.
“My son quoted the suspect when she came to pick him from Owerri as saying, ‘Since I provided you with new parents and you refused, you will come and die here in the camp’.
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“He has been in the camp since then.”
Further quoting Prosper, the obviously elated mother said: “My son told me that one of the boys that were kidnapped escaped from the camp, and it was after that that the police came to raid the place.
“He said the ‘Reverend Sister ‘ attempted to hide them the day the police stormed the camp to raid the illegal orphanage as she had been doing so before then.
“He said the police were coming to the camp, but once she got a clue that the police were coming, she would quickly move them to her mother’s house at Igwuruta town and take them back once things were calm.
“But on that fateful day, my son said the suspect went out and rushed back to the camp tensed and shouting, ‘There is war-o! There is war in the camp! Everybody, go and hide!
“He said she quickly tried to move them out but they ran towards the police vehicle that headed towards the camp. She turned back to the camp and began to hide the children in different places, but the police came in, turned the house upside down and brought them out one after the other.
“He said at the time they were rescued, they were not able to remember how they came to the place and where they came from. It was the next day they began to remember.”
Recalling her ordeal in the period that Prosper was missing, Mrs Godwin said the actions of his (Prosper’s) twin sister gave her as much heartache as the missing boy.
She said: “His twin sister’s actions would have killed me faster than the agony of my missing child. I have five children, but Prosper has a twin sister.
“When food was served, as we usually eat together, his twin sister would call out his name, ‘Oh Prosper, come and join us now! The moment she said that, I would not be able to eat again. Sorrow would engulf my life and I would begin to sob. She also would not eat.
“One day, out of frustration, I gathered all his clothes and made to set them on fire so that nothing would remind me of him again. But his twin sister quickly went in, brought out all her clothes and asked me to burn them too.
“It was a very trying moment for me and my children. Even now, it is still as if I am dreaming. “When he is sleeping at night, I will not sleep but just sit down and look at him. I would turn him left and right just to assure myself that I am not dreaming.
“The joy is overwhelming. I cannot explain it. Although I had hope that I would see my son someday, I was not expecting that it would be on that particular day. It was a pleasant surprise for me and my siblings.
“When I saw the police van approaching our house and I saw Prosper with them, I thought it was a dream. I ran out in joy, shouting and calling people to come and see.”
Recalling how his ward, Nmasichi, got missing, Edeze said: “It was around 10 in the morning at Creekroad Market in Port Harcourt Township on April 19, 2022. My wife and I have shops at the market and we were there on that day with Nmasichi.
“It was during Easter holiday. I sent her to go to and drop something at my sister’s shop in the same market and come back right away.
“When she had not returned after one hour, I called my sister to know why she was still keeping her there but she said she had not even seen her in the shop. It was at that point the search for her began.
“When all the efforts made to find her proved abortive, around 4 pm that evening, we went to the police station in the market to report and they later sent signal to the state police headquarters.
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“There was no place we did not go to from church to other places, including places where I ordinarily would never have gone to in my life.
“Nmasichi is not my biological child but my wife’s niece; her brother’s daughter to be precise.
“My son Prosper, who the kidnappers renamed Gerald, was seven years old when he was kidnapped at Ikpazasia Market on October 29, 2020. He is nine years old now.
“He was kidnapped with two of his friends. It was on the day of Endsars protest in Bayelsa State and they were at the market square when they went missing. We searched everywhere for them without any success.
“When all the failed we made to find them failed, we went to report the incident at Ekeki Police Station. Unfortunately, it was during the Endsars protest, so the police could not do anything immediately. They however promised to look into the case once the situation was calm.
“When we had lost all hope in the police, I went spiritual, going from one church to another. In the course of visiting churches, a prophet told me to stop searching because my son was dead.
“He told me that I should come to terms with the truth and reality that I would never see my son again because he had been killed and I was only searching for a dead person.
“But somehow, I kept my hopes alive and continued to search for him, praying to God for a miracle.”
Asked what her son told her about his experience in the custody of his abductors, she said: “According to my son, the self-acclaimed Reverend Sister sold him to a couple in Lagos State.
“After six months with the family, he opened up to the woman that he was kidnapped from Bayelsa State and that his parents were alive in Bayelsa. He pleaded with the woman to help him go back to his parents.
“After hearing my son’s story, the woman contacted the so called Reverend Sister who came and took him back to Port Harcourt.
“On getting back to Port Harcourt, the suspect quickly sold him again to another family in Owerri.
“After staying in Owerri for a while, he also told the family his story and also begged them to help him reunite with his real family. The family in Owerri also called the suspect to come and take the boy back.
“My son quoted the suspect when she came to pick him from Owerri as saying, ‘Since I provided you with new parents and you refused, you will come and die here in the camp’.
“He has been in the camp since then.”
Further quoting Prosper, the obviously elated mother said: “My son told me that one of the boys that were kidnapped escaped from the camp, and it was after that that the police came to raid the place.
“He said the ‘Reverend Sister ‘ attempted to hide them the day the police stormed the camp to raid the illegal orphanage as she had been doing so before then.
“He said the police were coming to the camp, but once she got a clue that the police were coming, she would quickly move them to her mother’s house at Igwuruta town and take them back once things were calm.
“But on that fateful day, my son said the suspect went out and rushed back to the camp tensed and shouting, ‘There is war-o! There is war in the camp! Everybody, go and hide!
“He said she quickly tried to move them out but they ran towards the police vehicle that headed towards the camp. She turned back to the camp and began to hide the children in different places, but the police came in, turned the house upside down and brought them out one after the other.
“He said at the time they were rescued, they were not able to remember how they came to the place and where they came from. It was the next day they began to remember.”
Recalling her ordeal in the period that Prosper was missing, Mrs Godwin said the actions of his (Prosper’s) twin sister gave her as much heartache as the missing boy.
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She said: “His twin sister’s actions would have killed me faster than the agony of my missing child. I have five children, but Prosper has a twin sister.
“When food was served, as we usually eat together, his twin sister would call out his name, ‘Oh Prosper, come and join us now! The moment she said that, I would not be able to eat again. Sorrow would engulf my life and I would begin to sob. She also would not eat.
“One day, out of frustration, I gathered all his clothes and made to set them on fire so that nothing would remind me of him again. But his twin sister quickly went in, brought out all her clothes and asked me to burn them too.
“It was a very trying moment for me and my children. Even now, it is still as if I am dreaming. “When he is sleeping at night, I will not sleep but just sit down and look at him. I would turn him left and right just to assure myself that I am not dreaming.
“The joy is overwhelming. I cannot explain it. Although I had hope that I would see my son someday, I was not expecting that it would be on that particular day. It was a pleasant surprise for me and my siblings.
“When I saw the police van approaching our house and I saw Prosper with them, I thought it was a dream. I ran out in joy, shouting and calling people to come and see.”
Recalling how his ward, Nmasichi, got missing, Edeze said: “It was around 10 in the morning at Creekroad Market in Port Harcourt Township on April 19, 2022. My wife and I have shops at the market and we were there on that day with Nmasichi.
“It was during Easter holiday. I sent her to go to and drop something at my sister’s shop in the same market and come back right away.
“When she had not returned after one hour, I called my sister to know why she was still keeping her there but she said she had not even seen her in the shop. It was at that point the search for her began.
“When all the efforts made to find her proved abortive, around 4 pm that evening, we went to the police station in the market to report and they later sent signal to the state police headquarters.
“There was no place we did not go to from church to other places, including places where I ordinarily would never have gone to in my life.
“Nmasichi is not my biological child but my wife’s niece; her brother’s daughter to be precise.
“Our business capital was put on the line and it was almost expended. Our shops were almost empty.
“We were accused of using the girl for one ritual or the other. Her parents said all sorts of things to us and against us, insisting that we must produce their child wherever we kept her. It was the toughest time in our lives.
“However, all that became a thing of the past. Our joy knew no bounds when on Monday, September 5 policemen from the headquarters brought her here to my shop.
“Because the incident happened right here in the market, everybody in this market knows my girl and the fact that she was missing.
“Nmasichi’s recovery and home coming brought overwhelming joy to not only me but everybody in this market. She is a good girl and people like her.
“There was heavy noise in this market. The celebration surged into the road (Creek Road), causing heavy traffic on the road. People were spraying and throwing powder in the air to celebrate her return.
“It was a joyful moment and the joy is still on. God in His mercy vindicated me and my family.”
Asked if Nmasichi had gone back to her parents, he said: “I am still keeping her at home to recuperate before taking her home.”
Recalling Nmasichi’s ordeal in the den of her abductors, Edeze said: “They changed her name in the kidnappers’ camp to Favour, which she is now more familiar with than her original name.
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“The children went through a lot of inhuman treatment at the kidnappers’ camp. Her body is riddled with bruises suspected to be from cane punishment.
“According to her, any child who cried or complained about missing their families or say they wanted to go to their parents or siblings, they would use wire to flog the hell out of them. They would be so flogged that they would not remember that they have parents or families outside the camp.”
In an exclusive chat with our correspondent, Wechinwu admitted paying between N50,000 and N100,000 for each child supplied her. She however denied running a kidnapping or human trafficking camp, saying she was only offering social service to the society in the form of an orphanage.
She told The Nation in an exclusive interview that her life is a total failure.
“By the kind of human being and life I live, I am a failure to the World, my state, my community and my family,” She said.
Wechinwu also admitted that she is not an ordained Reverend Sister. She however said she was in training but had to pull out on realising that her congregation (Our Lady of Victory) encouraged Reverend Sisters to wear trousers.
She said: “I was in Sierra Leone for my first religious profession of Reverend Sisterhood of Our Lady of Victory congregation.
“I am not a Reverend Sister as it stands now, but I know that I have been trained as a Reverend Sister, but because the congregation wears trousers, I could not continue. I came back during the outbreak of Ebola virus in 2014.”
Asked how she came about the children in her camp and how she came in contact with the syndicate that brought her supplies, she said: “Some of the kids the police recovered from my house are children that were given birth to at different places like (Ogbogoro Market Square) by mentally unstable mothers, and were entrusted to my care from the time of birth by persons who know I run an orphanage, since their mothers are homeless and are unable to take care of them.
“Another of the children was born by a homeless physically challenged woman named Ekaette Vivian, from Akwa Ibom state, who voluntarily gave out the son to me in camera.
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“The rest of the children were brought to me by Victor and one Alice, who I reward with cash gifts each time they bring children to me.”
According to her, Alice has supplied at least four kids to the camp, while Victor supplied the rest of the children. She said she did not know where and how the children came about.
“While I was accepting the kids at such tender age, I had no intention of running an orphanage, but I took it that I was offering a social service to the best of my ability.
“I was tempted to give out three of the kids, but one of them (Prosper), could not stay with the family I gave him to, and he had to be returned to me. The other two children I gave out, I will get them back. It is a promise.”
Asked how much she sold each of the children, she said she sold them for N350,000 each.
Wechinwu who gave the name of her orphanage as St. Francis of Assessy Orphanage Home, listed members of her syndicate simply as Glory, Victor and Alice, insisting that she does not know more about Victor than the fact that he hails from Ahoada part of Rivers State.
On Tuesday last week, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Eboka Friday, paraded the 44-year-old suspect and 15 of the kids in her custody with none of them as her biological child. According to her, some of the children aged between two and 15 years were kidnapped as far back as 2014.
Another sick baby believed to be about two years old was also said to have been recovered from another camp the suspect operated at Omuigwe Abuja Phase II axis of Ikwerre Local Government Area, and had been admitted at the police clinic in the state. It was the second of the rescued babies admitted in the hospital. The first was overtly malnourished with protruding belly and had to be infused with blood. He was however said to be responding to treatment before his parents came to claim him.
Some of the children, who were able to remember where they came from as well as the names of their parents, have since been reunited with their families while the others, mostly those who were abducted at very tender and could not cite their home addresses or parents’ names were kept by the police. A good number of them are within the age range of two and five years.
The rescued kids include Chimobi Mattew (7), Prosper Godwin (9) Queen Harry (7), Miracle John Ohiri (8), Perculia Michael (8), and Nmasichi Eze (8), whose name was changed to Favour. Others are Justice Peter (4), Chukwuemeka (4), Onyebuchi (7), Madubochi (10), Francisca (12), Emmanuel (6), Chinwendu (15) and Ogadinma Destiny (5), who were made to adopt Wechinwu as their surname. Addressing journalists while parading the suspect, the Commissioner of Police disclosed that some of the children were kidnapped on the way, at their homes, in the market places as well as in front of their houses within and outside the state.
He advised parents who had earlier reported their children missing to come over and see whether their children were among those that were rescued, so they could identify and take them home for proper medication and care.
He identified a particular family where a mother and her three children, including an 18-month-old baby were abducted from their home, saying that the whereabouts of the woman and her two children remained yet unknown while the third child, Miracle Ohiri, was among those that were rescued during the police raid.
The police are insisting that the suspect must account for the three others before she would be charged to court. They also vowed to apprehend everyone involved in the crime.
Stories of missing persons are common in communities and feature prominently in traditional and social media, prompting calls on parents and care givers to be conscious of the whereabouts of their wards and children at home, in school, market or at social gatherings.
A mother and social worker, Madam Rebecca Isaac, told our correspondent in Port Harcourt that the world is no longer what it used to be hence it is important for parents to be conscious of their children and wards’ movements always.
She said: “This world is no longer the way it used to be. It is important these days for parents to be conscious of where their children are, especially the little ones.
“Task their teachers on their safety at all times. It would not be a bad idea to call your child’s teacher every day during break period to speak with them.
“And at home, guard them jealously, treat everyone in your house as a suspect and always look for your child any time they wonder out of your glare for longer than usual.
“By so doing, you would be able to trace the point at which something went wrong, if possible.”
THE NATION
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