The Anambra State Police Command has arrested three female members of a child trafficking syndicate for allegedly selling a four-year-old boy for N2 million. The spokesperson for the command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, 12th July 2026, saying the suspects were arrested by operatives attached to the Awada Divisional Headquarters at a motor park in Onitsha.
Suspects Belong to Child Trafficking Syndicate
According to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), the suspects—Florence Nnakuzie, 45; Hannah Ugah, 52; and Chinasa Daniel, 27—belonged to a syndicate that specialised in trafficking children and selling them to buyers for various sums of money. Ikenga said that the suspects also sold a two-week-old baby to another woman who is currently at large. He added that some children were rescued during the operation while efforts are ongoing to arrest other members of the syndicate.
Details of the Arrest and Investigation
"The Anambra State Police Command on the evening of 11th of July 2026 has recorded another major breakthrough in its sustained fight against child trafficking with the arrest of three female suspects, Florence Nnakuzie, 45 years, Hannah Ugah, 52 years and Chinasa Daniel, 27 years in a motor park at Onitsha by Police Operatives attached to Awada Divisional Headquarters," the statement read.
"Preliminary information reveals how Chinasa Daniel allegedly brought two children—a two-week-old baby and a four-year-old child—on two separate occasions between June and December 2025 and handed them over to Hannah Ugah. Chinasa further disclosed that a four-year-old child was subsequently handed over to Florence Nnakuzie and allegedly sold for the sum of Two Million Naira (N2,000,000), while the two-week-old baby was allegedly sold to another woman who is currently at large."
Commissioner Orders Transfer to SCID
Consequently, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, fwc, mnips, PhD, while describing child trafficking as a grave violation of human rights and a crime against humanity, directed the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Awka, for a comprehensive and discreet investigation. He also ordered operatives to intensify efforts to identify and apprehend every member of the trafficking syndicate and to commence coordinated operations aimed at locating, rescuing, and reuniting the trafficked children with their biological families.
"The Command appreciates members of the public whose timely and credible information led to the successful operation and urges residents to continue supporting the Police with useful intelligence," the statement concluded.
