Tension As Landlord’s Guests Abduct Three Toddlers
Fear and panic have enveloped residents of Nkwagu community in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State following the abduction of three toddlers by suspected child traffickers who reportedly posed as overnight guests.
The children—two baby boys and a one-year-old girl—were allegedly taken in the early hours of Saturday from a residential compound located directly opposite a Nigerian Army barracks in the area.
The distraught mothers, Mrs. Happiness Okpuno Gladys and Mrs. Nworie Oluchi, alleged that the suspects were three women whom their landlord brought into the compound to sleep overnight on Thursday, February 6.
Speaking tearfully in a video clip shared on X (formerly Twitter) by @Real_AmakaIke, Mrs. Gladys said she had no prior knowledge of the women and only discovered her children were missing while she was at the market.
“This morning, I went to the market to buy goods for my business,” she said. “While there, neighbours called to tell me my children were missing. I rushed home and met a crowd in the compound.”
She explained that the women were strangers in the community and spoke English and Central Igbo, but not the local dialect, which later raised suspicion among residents.
“The people who kidnapped our children were brought by the landlord to sleep here. We don’t have a hotel or lodge around. They were never known in this area. Only the landlord can explain how he knew them,” she said, adding that her two-year-old son and one-year-old daughter were taken.
The second victim, Mrs. Oluchi, said her two-year-old son was also abducted by the same group through what appeared to be a calculated ruse.
“I was washing clothes when I was told one of the women took my child to buy biscuits,” she recounted. “Because he was sick and due for medication, I asked my older children to bring him back immediately.”
According to her, when the child was not found, she met two other women sitting calmly in the compound, who assured her not to worry and claimed the woman had gone to buy biscuits.
“I went into my room briefly to change clothes. When I came out, neighbours said one of the women had boarded a keke. I raised an alarm, and people gathered, but the other two women had also vanished,” she said.
Both mothers confirmed that their husbands were not at home during the incident.
Residents described the abduction as daring and traumatic, noting that fear has now gripped parents in the community.
The victims and community members have appealed to the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious movement involving women travelling with toddlers matching the description of the missing children. An emergency contact number, 07080240088, has been circulated for anyone with useful information.
The Ebonyi State Police Command has confirmed the incident. The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, said the case was reported at the Central Police Station (CPS) in Abakaliki and that investigations are ongoing.
“The Commissioner of Police has consistently advised landlords and residents to properly verify the identities of strangers and insist on guarantors before offering accommodation,” Ukandu said.
The incident has further heightened concerns over the rising cases of child abduction and human trafficking in parts of the South-East.
