The Ebony State Police Command has busted a child trafficking syndicate, which allegedly stole and sold a child for N355,000.

The police also rescued the stolen child from the syndicate who stole the child from its mother in the state and sold it in Anambra State.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Loveth Odah, said this in a statement, on Friday, in Abakaliki, the state capital.

She said the child was recovered in Anambra State through a painstaking investigation by the command’s detectives for the past one month.According to the police spokesperson, the child was stolen from the mother at a market in the state in March.

“On the 11th day of April, 2022, a case of stolen child was reported to the Ebonyi State Police Command by one Okeh Nkemdiri ‘f’ against one Uchechukwu Ebenyi age 27yrs ‘m’ of Amukpa Okengwu Ezilo in the Ishielu LGA of Ebonyi State alleging that on the 21st March, 2022, at about 1200hrs she went to their local market with her four-year-old son, Okeh Makoochukwu, whom she suddenly discovered was no longer seen.

“She immediately raised the alarm in the market but all efforts to trace her son’s whereabouts proved abortive,” Odah narrated.According to Odah, police detectives, on receipt of information, swung into action and arrested the suspect, Uchechukwu Ebenyi.She said that on interrogation, Ebenyi confessed to have sold the little Makoochukwu Okeh for the sum of N5000 to one Chidiebere Ogbu ‘m’, a native of Amoukpa Okeugwu Eziulo in the Ishielu LGA of Ebonyi State, who resides in Anambra State alongside one Ekeh Ukamaka ‘f’ of the same address.

Odah said that police detectives trailed the recipient of the stolen child to Anambra State, where he was arrested alongside two others.

City Round reports that the child could not be located immediately as the suspects had also sold him to other persons.

Upon interrogation, he (Ogbu) confessed to have sold the child to a third party with the help of one Dr. Lambert’s wife (name unknown) but now at large through Nwagwu Onyeka ‘m’ currently residing at the Idemili North LGA of Anambra State at the sum of N350,000.

“The child was further traced to one Chibuzor Azubuike ‘m’ who later took the detectives to Ezenwa Scholastica whom the child was recovered from, on the 3rd May, 2022”, Odah added