By Deborah Nnamdi
The Anambra State Police Command has rescued two children, 14-year-old Sunday Aliya and 12-year-old Ebenezer Emmanuel, nine months after they were declared missing.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Awka, saying the children were found in Edo and Delta states after a nationwide investigation.
According to Ikenga, operatives attached to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Gender Section led the operation following a report lodged at Fegge Police Station on January 18. The children were said to have gone missing after their guardian sent them to fetch water at a nearby borehole.
He said the case was later transferred to the SCID in Awka, where detectives acting on credible intelligence traced and arrested a suspect, Yusuf, in Katsina State. The suspect’s confession led to the recovery of one of the victims, Sunday Aliya, in Umunede, Delta State, and the second, Ebenezer Emmanuel, in Benin City, Edo State.
Ikenga quoted the Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, as commending the officers for their perseverance and professionalism, assuring that the command would continue to pursue every case to a logical conclusion.
He also thanked members of the public for their cooperation and urged continued support to the police through timely information.
The command said the children’s parents, who reside in Ilorin, Kwara State, have been contacted, and arrangements are being made for their formal reunification.
