It was indeed a very bad day for child traffickers in Enugu State, as a 23-year-old woman was on Thursday sentenced to six years’ imprisonment by the Enugu State Magistrate Court following her conviction for stealing a four-month-old baby.
However, according to the press release by the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Enugu State Police Command, Daniel Ndukwe, the woman whose name was given as Odoh Rejoice stole the child at Oye Emene market, Enugu state on October 29, 2026.
The release read thus; “the Enugu State Police Command has secured the conviction of 23-year-old female, Rejoice Odoh, for conspiracy and child stealing. The Enugu Magistrate Court sentenced her to two concurrent three-year prison terms for stealing a four-month-old baby boy at Oye-Emene Market, Emene, Enugu, on 20th October 2026, at about 9:00 a.m.
“Investigation revealed that the suspect, who had previously posed as a customer to the child’s mother, took the baby under the guise of helping to carry him while going to buy an item from a nearby shop, but absconded with him. She later switched off her phone and conspired with her younger sister, who is currently at large, to present the baby to their family members at Ubahu, Nkanu East LGA, as her own child”
The release further reads that “acting on the report and technical intelligence gathered, detectives of the Command’s State Intelligence Department, working with personnel of the Amechi-Idodo Police Division and members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group, arrested the suspect and recovered the baby at Idume, Amankanu, Nkanu East LGA, on 24th October 2026, at about 10:30 p.m. The child was subsequently reunited with his parents.
“Upon conclusion of the investigation, the suspect was arraigned before the Enugu Magistrate Court and prosecuted by a police prosecutor from the Legal Section. Having pleaded guilty, she was convicted on 29th October 2026, and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for conspiracy and another three years for child stealing, with both sentences to run concurrently.”
It further stated that “the Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, psc, mspsp, smicm, commends the police personnel, members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group, and the prosecuting team for their roles in the suspect’s arrest, recovery of the child, and securing of the conviction.
“He also appreciates the court for the expeditious dispensation of justice and urges parents and guardians to remain vigilant, prioritise their children’s safety, avoid leaving them in the care of untrusted persons, and promptly report missing-child incidents to the police.”
