The Benue State Police Command has arrested three suspected child traffickers and rescued six children, according to a statement released by the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, on Friday.
The suspects — Monica Okonkwo (57), Nkiru Nwosu (55), and Francisca Oyechele (57), all from Dunukofia in Anambra State — were arrested on November 20 along the Orokam–Enugu Road after patrol officers intercepted a suspicious vehicle.
A search revealed five girls and one boy, aged 7 to 9, allegedly taken from Divine Peace and Grace Orphanage in Jos, Plateau State under questionable circumstances. The suspects claimed they were transporting the children to Anambra.
The children are now under protective custody while the suspects remain detained as the State CID continues investigations.
In a separate incident on the same day, police responded to a distress call about a stolen Bajaj motorcycle traced to a compound on George Akume Way, Makurdi. Officers arrived to find a large mob surrounding the premises.
Inside the compound, police recovered 11 suspected stolen motorcycles, 47 motorcycle seats, fuel tanks, criminal charms, mattresses, and a single-barrel firearm.
Two suspects who fled the location were caught by the mob and lynched before the police arrived. They were later confirmed dead at the Federal Medical Centre, Wadata.
Benue Commissioner of Police, CP Ifeanyi Emenari, condemned the mob action, describing it as a dangerous practice that undermines the rule of law. He urged residents to always report suspects to the police rather than take matters into their own hands.
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