The Imo State police command has arrested a couple, Monday Atodo and his wife, Ezekwere Ngozi, for the kidnapping of a four year old boy from Kogi State.
They also arrested the proprietor of St. Theresa’s Orphanage located on Apo Street, Lokogoma, Ogochukwu Chikwelu, a woman from Nimo in Anambra State, identified as the mastermind of the child trafficking syndicate.
The spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, Henry Okoye, said the duo were arrested while on transit on August 12, 2025, along the Owerri Port Harcourt Road with baby Isaiah, whom they claimed was their biological child.
According to Okoye, 46 year old Ezekwere Ngozi, of Udi LGA, Enugu State, resident in Abuja, and her husband, 43 year old Monday Atodo, of Ofu LGA, Kogi State, resident in Kogi State, were on their way to deliver Isaiah to the person who bought him.
It was during investigations that the police discovered that 56 year old Ogochukwu Chikwelu, of Nimo, Anambra State, and resident in Abuja, who operates St. Theresa’s Orphanage at Apo Street, Lokogoma, was the mastermind behind the syndicate.
Okoye stated that on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, during a routine stop and search operation along the Owerri-Port Harcourt Road, command operatives intercepted a couple.
The individuals were identified as Ezekwere Ngozi, originally from Udi Local Government Area in Enugu State and currently residing in Abuja, and her husband, Monday Atodo, from Ofu Local Government Area in Kogi State and residing in Kogi State.
They were found with a four year old boy, Isaiah (surname unknown), whom they falsely claimed was their biological child.
Okoye explained that during interrogation, it was discovered that the child had been stolen in Kogi State by a woman named Blessing Ogwo and handed over in Abuja to Ngozi, who was responsible for delivering trafficked children to buyers.
Further investigation led to the identification of the syndicate’s leader, Ogochukwu Chikwelu, from Nimo in Anambra State and residing in Abuja.
She runs St. Theresa’s Orphanage located on Apo Street in Lokogoma. She was tracked down and arrested in Abuja through a joint operation with the State CID and later transferred to Owerri for continued investigation and prosecution.
He assured the public that baby Isaiah was safe and that efforts were ongoing to reunite him with his biological parents, adding that efforts were ongoing to nab other fleeing members of the syndicate.
In another development, the Imo State Police Command has arrested 29 year old Precious Okoh from Enugu State after a child was stolen from Bayelsa State and trafficked to Owerri, where she was sold.
Okoye said that on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, operatives, acting on credible intelligence, arrested Precious Okoh, who hails from Nkanu-East Local Government Area of Enugu State, at the Umuguma Housing Area in the Owerri West council.
He said, “On Wednesday, July 16, 2025, operatives of the command, acting on credible intelligence, arrested one Precious Okoh, 29, of Nkanu-East LGA, Enugu State, at the Umuguma Housing Area, Owerri, with a nine year old girl, Promise Christopher.
“She confessed that the child was stolen from Igbogene, Bayelsa State, and brought to Owerri for sale. The operatives traced the parents to Bayelsa, and the child has since been reunited with her parent.”
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, has commended the operatives for their professionalism and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to eradicating child trafficking.
Furthermore, he called on the public to stay vigilant, provide useful information, and partner with the Police in protecting children and other vulnerable persons.
