Imo State Police Command operatives have rejected a N1 million bribe offer and arrested two suspected child traffickers, rescuing two children in separate incidents.
According to a statement by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Henry Okoye, on Thursday, February 28, 2025, the arrests followed diligent investigative efforts and routine security checks.
In the first incident, detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) arrested a 32-year-old woman, Confidence Odoh, of Umuanyo Eziobodo, Owerri West LGA, for allegedly abducting her ex-neighbor’s three-year-old son, Nzubechi Udodiri.
The child, who was taken from their compound on February 1, 2025, was successfully rescued and reunited with his parents.
Similarly, during a stop-and-search operation along the Owerri-Aba Expressway on February 21, officers apprehended a 45-year-old woman, Eze Chika, of Obiokwara Umualoma, Ideato North LGA, with a four-year-old child suspected to have been trafficked.
Initially, Chika claimed the child was hers but later confessed to purchasing the child from a trafficking syndicate in Aba for N1.8 million.
In a bid to evade arrest, she allegedly attempted to bribe the officers with N1 million, but they rejected the offer and proceeded with her detention.
Further investigations are underway to dismantle the trafficking network and locate the child’s biological parents.
DSP Okoye reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating child trafficking and urged parents to remain vigilant while reporting suspicious activities to security agencies.