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Police Bust Child Trafficking Syndicate In Imo, Arrest Three

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The Imo State Police Command has arrested a couple, Monday Atodo, and his wife, Ezekwere Ngozi, for kidnapping a four-year-old boy from Kogi State.

This is even as they have arrested the proprietor of St. Theresa’s Orphanage at Apo Street, Lokogoma, 56-year-old Ogochukwu Chikwelu, a female from Nimo, Anambra State, as the mastermind behind the child trafficking syndicate.

Police spokesperson for Imo State command, Henry Okoye, said the duo were arrested while on transit on August 12th, 2025, along the Owerri–Port Harcourt Road with baby Isaiah with them, who they claimed was their biological child.

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According to Okoye, 46-year-old Ezekwere Ngozi ‘F’ of Udi LGA, Enugu State, resident in Abuja, and her husband, 43-year-old Monday Atodo ‘M’ of Ofu LGA, Kogi State, resident in Kogi State, were on their way to deliver Isaiah to the person who bought him.

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It was during investigations that the Police discovered that 56-year-old Ogochukwu Chikwelu ‘f’, of Nimo, Anambra State, and resident in Abuja, who operates St. Theresa’s Orphanage at Apo Street, Lokogoma was the mastermind behind the syndicate.

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Okoye said, “On 12th August 2025, operatives of the Command, while on routine stop and search along the Owerri–Port Harcourt Road, intercepted a couple identified as 46-year-old Ezekwere Ngozi ‘F’ of Udi LGA, Enugu State, resident in Abuja, and her husband 43-year-old Monday Atodo ‘M’ of Ofu LGA, Kogi State, resident in Kogi State. They were found with a four-year-old boy, Isaiah (surname unknown), whom they falsely claimed was their biological child.

“Interrogation revealed that the child was stolen in Kogi State by one Blessing Ogwo and handed over in Abuja to Ngozi, whose role was to deliver trafficked children to buyers. Further investigation uncovered the syndicate’s mastermind, 56-year-old Ogochukwu Chikwelu ‘f’, of Nimo, Anambra State, and resident in Abuja, who operates St. Theresa’s Orphanage at Apo Street, Lokogoma. She was tracked, arrested in Abuja through a joint operation with the State CID, and transferred to Owerri for further investigation and prosecution.”

READ ALSO:NDLEA Arrests Chinese Businessman, 80-yr-old Grandma With Colos In Moimoi Sachets

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He assured 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 Police Command has arrested 29 years 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 operatives, on July 16th, 2025, acting on credible intelligence, arrested Precious Okoh, who hails from Nkanu-East Local Government area of Enugu State, in Umuguma housing area in the Owerri West council.

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READ ALSO:JUST IN: Gunmen Kill Policeman, Abduct Other In Imo

He said, “On 16th July 2025, operatives of the Command, acting on credible intelligence, arrested one Precious Okoh, 29, of Nkanu-East LGA, Enugu State, at Umuguma Housing Area, Owerri, with a 9-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”.

Already, 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.

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Further, he has called on the public to stay vigilant, provide useful information, and partner with the Police in protecting children and other vulnerable persons.
(PUNCH)

Metro

Lagos Man Shot Dead After Fight In Nightclub

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There was panic on Friday after a man, identified simply as Alex, was shot by suspected gunmen at Iyana Isashi in the Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State.

It was learnt that the incident occurred at about 8 pm.

A resident in the community who requested not to be mentioned due to the nature of the incident had told The PUNCH that the deceased was on his way to meet a friend when two men on a bike accosted him.

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One of them was, however, said to have pulled out a gun in the process and shot him at close range.

READ ALSO:Lagos Opens Portal For Teaching Job Applications

The source said, “Alex stays at Cele Niza here in Iyana Isashi. He had just come back from his place of work when he stepped out again, probably to meet a friend. He was on his way when some men on a bike stopped him on the way and shot him. It was the sound of the gunshot that attracted people around, who rushed to the spot and found him lying in a pool of blood. The gunmen were also seen trying to escape from the area while still on the bike.”

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According to the source, Alex was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was being attended to.

Giving an update on the incident on Wednesday, the source confirmed to that the victim succumbed to the gunshot injuries earlier in the day.

We lost him this morning. He had been in a coma since that Friday, and doctors tried all they could to save him, but he did not make it,” the source disclosed.

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Meanwhile, the victim, otherwise known as Fleximore, was said to have had an altercation with some strangers at a nightclub in the community a day before the incident happened.

Another resident who identified himself simply as Quadri and made this known to The PUNCH on Wednesday said, “Some of his friends who went to a club in the area with him said he had a serious fight with some guys there. They said it started with an argument that later resulted in a confrontation.

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“Although they tried to settle it but that is very unusual of him. You hardly hear anything of such about him. Alex is an easy-going person and does not make trouble, but we don’t know the kind of person he had issues with at the nightclub, and that is why some people said the attack was most likely a result of what happened at the club.”

According to Quadri, arrangements are ongoing to bury the late Alex.

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The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said she was not aware of the incident.

“I am not aware of the incident, but I will call the DPO in the area to confirm,” she said.

Communities in the Iba Local Government Area and adjoining communities along the Lagos–Badagry Expressway have, over the months, witnessed a series of cult-related attacks. The resident had also called for the intervention of the police authorities.

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Gunmen Invade Ex-Ogun LG Chairman’s Residence

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An armed gang on Thursday morning invaded the residence of former Ijebu-Ode Local Government Chairman, Alhaji Emilola Gazal, carting away valuables, cash, and his vehicle.

Gazal, who is also the publisher of The Roots Magazine, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview.

The three armed men broke into my residence at Ijebu-Ode GRA at about 2 a.m. They collected all the cash with me after which they forced me to open my bank apps on my phone and transfer everything there to an account they provided. They left only N5,000 in my account.

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READ ALSO:Police Foil Robbery On Sagamu-Benin Expressway, Recover Stolen Tricycle In Ogun

“They also made away with my wife’s trinkets and with my ash-colour car. They actually told me they would be going away with my car. I am just going to report the incident to the police at Igbeba and Obalende, Ijebu-Ode”, Gazal told our correspondent.

According to The PUNCH, that this incident comes amid a spate of violent robberies and home invasions reported across Ogun State, particularly in the Ijebu area.

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For example, earlier this year, the Ogun State Police Command killed a suspected armed robber in a gun duel along the Sagamu–Ijebu Ode Expressway.

READ ALSO:Police Foil Robbery On Sagamu-Benin Expressway, Recover Stolen Tricycle In Ogun

The command, on September 12, 2025, also recently arrested a man linked to a burglary and armed robbery in Ayetoro, amounting to about N1.5 million in stolen goods.

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Meanwhile, the regional security network, Amotekun Corps, has in past operations engaged criminal gangs in shootouts, neutralising suspects in Ogun’s border zones.

Details later…

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Edo Police Kill Two Suspected Kidnappers In Gun Duel

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Operatives of the Edo State Police Command neutralised two suspected kidnappers in a gun duel in Ubiaja, Esan South East Local Government Area on September 30.

The command’s spokesperson, Moses Yamu, confirmed this on Wednesday in a statement made available to newsmen in Benin.

According to Yamu, other suspects escaped with varying degrees of injury in the course of the gun battle, while guns and mobile phones were recovered from the scene.

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READ ALSO:Edo Activist In Police Net Over Alleged Assault On Abure

He said, “On 30th September, 2025 at about 09:50hrs, acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Amedokhian Tactical Division, in synergy with local Hunters and the Vigilante group, led by SP Peter Ogah, embarked on a bush combing operation along the railway track leading to Ubiaja in Esan South East Local Government Area.

“During the operation, the team encountered a gang of suspected kidnappers who opened fire on the operatives. In the ensuing gun duel, two of the suspects were neutralised, while others escaped with varying degrees of injuries.

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“One AK-47 rifle with breech number 4148, 33 rounds of live ammunition, and two mobile phones were recovered at the scene. The neutralised suspects were immediately taken to the hospital where they were confirmed dead.”

READ ALSO:Police Rescue Mother, Baby, Five Others From Kidnappers In Kwara

The command’s imagemaker also disclosed that on the same date, operatives of the same Tactical Division recovered an English-made double-barreled shotgun with breech number 03273286 and two live cartridges in the forest around Idumogun community in Ukoni area of Esan South East LGA during a bush combing operation.

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He said the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, commended the gallantry of the operatives, hunters, and vigilante groups for their swift response and synergy in combating crime.

Agbonika assured members of the public that the Command remains resolute in its commitment to rid the State of criminal elements.

He urged members of the public to support the command’s Community Safety Partnership initiative and informal policing efforts in ensuring a safer Edo State.

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