The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 63-year-old woman, Ngozi Muotuanya, from the Awkuzu-Oba area, for alleged involvement in child theft.
According to reports, Muotuanya is believed to be a key figure in an interstate child trafficking syndicate. She allegedly stole a one-year-old boy in Minna, Niger State, and sold him to an unsuspecting buyer in Anambra State.
In a statement on Tuesday, police spokesperson SP Tochukwu Ikenga confirmed that the suspect was apprehended by operatives from the Oba Division following credible intelligence.
He added that details about the child’s current location have been shared with the Niger State Police Command for recovery and to ensure the child is reunited with his family.
The statement read in part, “In a decisive move to unravel the mysterious disappearance of children in the state, especially in Oba and its environs, police operatives attached to the Oba Division on August 11, 2025, acting on credible intelligence, apprehended one Ngozi Muotuanya, female, of Awkuzu-Oba, aged 63 years.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that sometime in 2024, the suspect allegedly stole a male child, aged about one year, in Minna, Niger State, and sold him to an unsuspecting member of the public in Anambra State.
“The said suspect later resold the child to another person.
“However, on August 4, 2025, the receiver, upon realising that the child was stolen, returned him to the principal suspect.
“The suspect, in turn, allegedly abandoned the child at an unascertained church in Minna, where he was rescued by the leader of the Igbo Community in Minna.
“The suspect shall be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka, for discreet investigation and prosecution,” the statement said.
