The Imo State Police Command on Thursday announced the arrest of two female suspects allegedly involved in a child trafficking operation.
The women attempted to sell a 4-year-old boy, Jaffa Umar, for ₦2.7 million.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, disclosed this in Owerri.
The suspects are Joy Ugwu, from Idah, Kogi State, and Rosella Michael, from Zamba, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
However, a third accomplice, said to be a nurse, is on the run.
According to Okoye, the child was abducted from Abuja, where he had been hawking vegetables, and was brought to Imo State by the suspects.
Okoye said, “The Imo State Police Command has uncovered a suspected case of child trafficking, leading to the arrest of two female suspects and the rescue of a four-year-old boy.
“Acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Scorpion Unit intercepted the suspects—Joy Ugwu and Rosella Michael—in Owerri on April 14, 2025, at about 6:00 p.m., following a discreet operation.
“Investigations revealed that the boy, Jaffa Umar, who speaks Hausa fluently, was abducted in Abuja while hawking vegetables.
“The suspects had transported him to Owerri and were in the process of negotiating a sale for ₦2.7 million before their arrest. A third accomplice, believed to be a nurse, is currently at large.”
The statement also said that the Imo State Police Command and Zone 7 Police Headquarters, Abuja, through coordinated efforts, have since reunited the boy with his family in Abuja.
The two suspects have since been transferred to the Zonal Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja for further investigation and prosecution.
