The Ebonyi state Police command weekend confirmed the abduction of three children belonging to two separate mothers by three yet-to-be-identified middle-aged women in Nkwagu Village, Abakaliki Local Government Area (LGA).
The incident reportedly occurred at about 7:30am on Thursday, February 6, 2026, opposite Nkwagu Military Cantonment, throwing the usually calm community into panic and tension.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, SP Joshua Ukandu, said the children were taken from their residence by women who had visited and spent the night in the compound a day earlier.
According to him, the matter was reported by the affected parents at the Central Police Station (CPS), Abakaliki, and investigations have commenced to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction and apprehend the suspects.
SP Ukandu added that the Commissioner of Police, CP Adaku Uche-Anya, had recently directed members of the Landlords’ Association in Abakaliki to always verify the identities of prospective tenants and ensure the provision of credible guarantors before releasing houses, as part of efforts to curb crime.
It was gathered that news of the abduction attracted sympathisers to the area, as men and women gathered in clusters, discussing the disturbing development.
Many residents described the incident as heartbreaking and expressed concern over what they described as a rising trend of child theft in the state.
Some of the sympathisers called on the state government and relevant authorities to intensify public enlightenment, especially for parents and caregivers, on the dangers of allowing children to associate freely with strangers.
Narrating her ordeal, one of the victims, Mrs. Happiness Ofunna Gladys, said she had gone to the market early that morning to purchase goods for her business when she received a distress call that two of her children had been stolen.
“I rushed back home immediately and met people gathered in clusters. From what my neighbours told me, the women who stole my children—a boy and a girl aged between one and two years—were the same women who slept in our compound the previous night,” she said.
Mrs. Gladys expressed shock over the incident and appealed to security agencies to ensure the arrest of the suspects to serve as a deterrent to others.
Another victim, Mrs. Nworie Oluchi, said the women arrived at the compound the previous evening and were seen discussing with the landlord before spending the night in one of the vacant rooms.
She explained that the following morning, while preparing to administer medication to her two-year-old son, she discovered he was missing.
“My other children told me that one of the women asked him to buy biscuits. When I asked them about my son, one of the women volunteered to go and bring him back,” she narrated.
“Before I could step out of my room, the children raised alarm that the women had boarded a tricycle and sped off with the three children,” she added.
Efforts to speak with the landlord of the compound proved abortive, as he is currently being detained at the CPS, Abakaliki, in connection with the incident.
About the Author
