Woman Confesses To Selling 19 Kids To Ritualists In Imo

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

According to a report by The Guardian, Mrs. Anoruo was arrested by the
Orlu community local vigilante group. She was subsequently handed over
to the police.

During the raid, five children, including a new-born baby, already
kidnapped for sale, were rescued from her house, while a Sports
Utility Vehicle (SUV) belonging to her husband, Emeka, who is now on
the run, was recovered along with an undisclosed large sum of money.

According to The Heat Nigeria, an online media, residents had
complained of incessant disappearance of children in the area, which
was of serious concern to the community leaders.
"This year alone, the community has recorded a large number of missing
children," says a vigilance group member of the community who wanted
his name off-print.

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

While the community was searching for him, a son of a Deeper Life
Church pastor was also kidnapped and is still missing.

However, 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.
The arrest of Anorue followed Ebuka's confession that she and her
husband were his sponsors, who buy each child from his gang for
N100,000.

According to the vigilance group member, when Chioma's husband, Emeka
sighted them, he escaped through the back door while his wife was
apprehended and forced to open their doors where the victims were
found inside a room in captivity.

During her confession, she revealed that human merchandise had been
their family business for years.She confessed that her major work in
the business was to keep the victims while her husband would contact
buyers and sell them.

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.

Meanwhile, the vigilance group has transferred the suspect and the
rescued victims to SCID Owerri under a department led by one Supol Obi
for further investigation.