The Abia State Police Command has rescued six children who were earlier reported missing and arrested a suspected child trafficker, identified as 51-year-old Nnamdi Lazarus.
Lazarus, who is from Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, was arrested at his residence in Uratta, Aba, following credible intelligence acted upon by operatives of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit in Aba North.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Maureen Chinaka, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday in Umuahia.
According to the statement, the rescued children, aged between three and seven years, have been safely reunited with their families.
“The investigation is ongoing to apprehend other members of the child trafficking syndicate. The suspect will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations,” the statement said.
In a related development, the command announced the arrest of 13 other suspects, aged between 20 and 27, over alleged offences including armed robbery, unlawful possession of firearms, possession of substances suspected to be hard drugs, possession of walkie-talkies and vandalism of government property.
The police said the arrests were part of ongoing intelligence-led operations aimed at combating crime across the state.
“The command has continued to record significant successes in its kinetic and non-kinetic operational strategies in combating crime across the state, leveraging actionable intelligence,” the statement added.
The Command reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives and property, preventing and detecting crime, and maintaining law and order.
It also urged residents to support security efforts by providing timely information on criminal activities to the nearest police station or through the command’s emergency hotlines.
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