The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 63-year-old woman, identified as Ngozi Muotuanya, over her alleged role as a suspected kingpin in an inter-state child trafficking syndicate.
Police spokesperson SP Tochukwu Ikenga said operatives attached to the Oba Division apprehended Muotuanya on Monday, August 11, 2025, following credible intelligence linking her to the disappearance of children in Oba and surrounding communities.
Preliminary investigations revealed that in 2024, the suspect allegedly stole a male child, aged about one year, in Minna, Niger State, and sold him to an unsuspecting buyer in Anambra. The child was reportedly resold to another person.
On August 4, 2025, the second buyer, upon discovering that the child had been stolen, returned him to Muotuanya, who allegedly abandoned the boy at an unidentified church in Minna. He was later rescued by the Leader of the Igbo Community in the area.
The Anambra Police Command has informed the Niger State Police Command of the child’s whereabouts to facilitate recovery, reunification with his parents, and other necessary action.
The suspect will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Awka for further investigation and prosecution.