‘I bought a stolen 4-year-old because I needed a male child’

THE Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Abia State Police Command has arrested a 30-year-old man, Rowland Egbe, who allegedly stole a four-year-old boy, Uzoaba (other name withheld) whom he was taking to an intending buyer, a 50-year-old woman, Mrs Chioma Ohajinmadu.

Disclosing this to Crime Reports, the state Commissioner of Police, Adeleye Oyebade, said that the arrest of the suspects on Sunday, December 4, was made possible through intelligence and viability policing adopted by his command.

Accoridng to Oyebade, the suspected child trafficker, who is from Imo River, Ukwa West, Abia State, had earlier sold another boy, Maxwell, to Ohajinmadu of 16, Uchelekwa Street, by Ohanku road, Aba, two weeks before his arrest. Egbe reportedly worked in connivance with one Uche, who is said to be currently at large.

Oyebade added that the boy was rescued and handed over to his parents while the suspects confessed to the crime and had been helping the police with investigations.

The police commissioner assured that the suspects would be arraigned in court at the conclusion of investigations.

In an interview with Crime Reports, the female suspect said that she decided to buy the boy because she did not have a male child.

According to Ohanjinmadu, “I paid N150,000 for the boy that was first sold to me. But I gave him to another woman because I wanted a fair complexioned boy whose skin would blend with that of my family.”

She claimed that she did not know where the woman who purchased the first boy, identified as Maxwell, from her lived, as the business was transacted on the street.

In his own confession, Egbe said he tricked the boys he stole with biscuits and sausage roll popularly called Gala.

Egbe, who disclosed that he partnered with Uche to commit the crime, said that he was given N50,000 by his partner.