Tension has gripped residents of Ogwashi-Uku in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State following the reported abduction of four children on Sunday by suspected child traffickers.
According to findings by PUNCH Metro, two of the abducted children, identified as Ebube and Miracle, are siblings. The incident reportedly took place in the Umuokwe quarters of the community.
Eyewitnesses and community members alleged that three women, who had recently secured emergency accommodation in the area, lured the children away under the guise of buying them biscuits. Alarm was raised when the children were nowhere to be found within the compound. Concerned neighbours who proceeded to check on the women discovered their apartment was empty, and both the tenants and the children had vanished.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, stated on Sunday that the landlady of the house where the women stayed has been taken into custody. “Yes, it is true. The children were abducted just three days after the women moved into the apartment,” he said.
SP Edafe explained that the suspects had rented the apartment without providing any personal details. “They arrived claiming to need accommodation, and the landlady gave it to them without collecting any form of identification—no names, no phone numbers, no agreement,” he said. “Now, after three days, they disappeared with four children.”
He further noted that the landlady’s arrest was based on suspicions arising from her failure to conduct due diligence before renting out the apartment. Investigations are ongoing.