Buyer of five year old arrested in Enugu church where she went for thanksgiving service to celebrate her purchase

MEN of the Enugu State Police Command have rescued a five year old girl from a church where she was taken to for a thanksgiving service after she had been bought by a woman who bought her from a child trafficker.

In a bizarre case of child abduction, the five-year-old child was rescued during a church thanksgiving service in Emene, near the state capital, Enugu. According to the police spokesman Ebere Amaraizu, operatives of the command also arrested one Edith Ewulu, one of the two prime suspects involved in the alleged baby theft.

He said that Ms Ewulu, who hails from Enugu Agidi in Anambra State, was arrested on February 10, after the bay was stolen from her mother on February 6. He explained that the suspect had changed the baby’s original name from Felicia to Gift and had taken her to a new generation Pentecostal Church at Emene for thanksgiving and dedication.

According to the police spokesperson, Ms Ewulu, admitted that she bought the said child from one Chioma, who claimed to be running a social home in Aba, Abia State for the sum of N470,000. Ms Ewulu said she bought the baby on February 7 from the seller at a renowned hospital in Umuahia, Abia State which she said, convinced her that the business was genuine but never knew the child was stolen from the mother at Emene in Enugu.

Mr Amaraizu said: “She had taken the said child to her church for a thanksgiving before police operatives swooped on her and arrested her with the said baby." He added that the biological mother of the child identified as one Mrs Philomena Godwin had maintained that her baby was stolen on February 6 at Emene in Enugu State.

“On that day, she said she was having headache and had decided to go inside her room to have a short sleep while her baby was outside playing. However, when she woke up, she could no longer see her baby and attempts made to get her proved abortive hence they reported the case to the police," Mr Amaraizu added.

Mrs Godwin expressed satisfaction with the prompt move by police operatives leading to the recovery of her baby and the arrest of the buyer. Mr Amaraizu said that the baby had been reunited with her parents while the suspect had been helping the police operatives with their investigations.

He admonished parents and guardians to be security conscious at all times, to avoid running into the hands of this mischief makers. Also, the police advised members of the public to promptly report any suspicious movement within their environment to the police for necessary action.