A woman identified as Chioma Anoruo has been arrested by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Owerri, Imo state after she confessed to selling about 19 children to ritualists.

The woman with the kidnapped kids

According to a report by The Guardian, Mrs. Anoruo was arrested by the Orlu community local vigilante group while the husband, Emeka who had sighted the vigilance group member, escaped through the back door leaving his wife to be apprehended and forced to open their doors where the victims were found inside a room in captivity.

A score of Five children, including a new-born baby, already kidnapped for sale, were rescued from her house, while a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) belonging to Emeka, was recovered along with an undisclosed large sum of money. She also confessed that they had sold more than 19 children and the remaining five were waiting to be sold to their customers before her arrest.

Residents had complained of continuous disappearance of children in the area, which was of serious concern to the community leaders. A vigilante group member of the community who didn’t want to be named said: “This year alone, the community has recorded a large number of missing children.”

A pupil of Ezioha Community School, Okporo identified as Master Dominion Obasi was, on March 30, kidnapped in the school premises and since then, has not been found.

Moreover, two sons of the same parents, identified as Chukwuemeka and Chigozie, pupils of Holy Trinity Anglican School, Amazu in Okporo were abducted while returning home after their school had closed for the day.

As the abductors were trying to escape with them on their motorcycle, a palm wine tapper, who saw the two men while on top of a palm tree, raised the alarm, which attracted the attention of vigilance group members, who pursued them and apprehended one of the suspects identified as Ebuka.

It was Ebuka’s confession that led to the arrest of Anoruo. He said she and her husband were his sponsors, who buy each child from his gang for N100,000.

Anpruo confessed that her major work in the business was to keep the victims while her husband would contact buyers and sell them adding that human merchandise had been their family business for years.

The vigilance group, have however handed over the suspect and the rescued victims to SCID in Owerri under a department led by one Supol Obi to further investigate the matter.