I attracted kids with sweets, fried yam – Kidnap suspect

A child traffic suspect identified as Roland
Egbe, who was paraded by the
Commissioner of Police in Abia State, Mr.
Adeleye Oyebade, at the police officers
mess in Umuahia, the Abia State capital,
has confessed that he bought fried yam to
attract the two kids he allegedly stole from
their parents.
The suspect added that he handed the
children over to his friend identified only
as Uche, who in turn sold them to one
Chioma Ohajimadu and Mrs. Comfort
Ogbonnaya who reside at No. 69, Ososu
road, Aba.
Egbe, who claimed to be a ticket seller at
Oyigbo in Rivers State, said Uche
introduced him to child trafficking business
and persuaded him to get a child urgently
as a buyer was already waiting to pay for
the child.
He said, “One evening, about two weeks
ago, I went to eat at Oyigbo roundabout,
Uche started calling me repeatedly to get
the child he told me to bring. But I told
him that I know the parents of the child I
wanted to bring to him and I don’t want to
hurt them. However, he insisted that I
should bring the child.
“After speaking with him, I asked him to
come around and wait for me. Then I went
to where the children normally gather to
play around the area because the little boy,
Marvellous Heart, normally comes to me
each time I am around his mother’s shop.
“When he saw me that evening, he ran to
me and l bought sweets for him; from
there, I carried him and met Uche, who
was waiting for me at a distance. That
was how we took the boy to Aba. He gave
me N50,000 only and promised to pay me
the balance later.
“But after some days, the woman that
bought the boy started calling me to
complain that she doesn’t want the boy
again, that we should bring another child
for her. That was how Uche forced me to
go and steal another child for the woman.
“The second time, I saw some children
around a spot where they sell fried yam
around Imo River and bought some fried
yam for them. When I was leaving, I left
with one of them.”
Narrating his ordeal, the father of the boy,
Mr. Shedrach Heart, said he reported the
incident to the police at Obehie when his
child got missing and went to his church
for prayers, where he was assured that his
child would come back alive.
Heart said, “Roland has been our family
friend, any time he comes around to play
Loto around my wife’s shop, my child
normally runs to him and the two of them
will stay together until he leaves. On that
fateful day, my boy ran to him and he
carried him to buy something for him.
From there, he took him away.”
The illegal adopter of the stolen children,
Chioma Ohajimadu, also confessed to the
crime, adding that she could not afford to
adopt a child through the normal process
because it was exorbitant for her.
She explained that she later resorted to
use a man who promised to help her to
adopt one at a cheaper rate.
She said, “I’m a widow with a son of about
17-years-old. But I needed another baby in
my family. The Uche in question was my
primary school student.
“When we met at Aba, he told me he
works with the motherless baby’s home
and I informed him that I needed to adopt
a baby and I have gone round, but the
price they were giving me was exorbitant.
“He promised to help me out since he
works with them. So, about two weeks ago,
on the 18th of November, he called to
inform me that he has got the baby for
me. He brought the boy to my house with
Roland.
“I spent one night with the baby and found
out that he was too rough for my liking.
So, I called him to come and take the baby
and get another one that will be calm for
me. But he said he can’t take back the boy
again, that he finished the registration of
his adoption at the motherless baby’s
home.
“That was why I called a woman that
works at another motherless baby’s home
and asked her if she knows of any woman
that needs a child and she said yes and
asked her to bring the woman to take the
boy they brought for me because I don’t
want him again.
“She asked me to bring the child and she
then invited Comfort Ogbonnaya to take
the boy, it was in the process of adopting
the second baby that I was arrested by the
police.”
Speaking while parading the suspects,
Oyebade said Egbe was earlier arrested
and paraded for child trafficking on
December 7, 2016, before the operatives
attached to the Special Anti-Robbery
Squad at Obehie rescued the four-year-old
Heart stolen about two weeks ago.
The Commissioner of Police warned
parents to monitor their children closely
and warn them to stop accepting gifts
from strangers and people around them
this Christmas period.