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The Anambra State Police Command has taken a 63-year-old woman, Ngozi Muotuanya, into custody following her alleged abduction of a one-year-old boy in Niger State, whom she later sold in Anambra.
Muotuanya, hailing from Awkuzu-Oba in Anambra, was captured by officers from the Oba Police Division after receiving intelligence reports.
According to a statement from the police spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, investigations have uncovered that the suspect stole the child in Minna in 2024 and subsequently sold him to a buyer in Anambra.
“Initial investigations indicate that during 2024, the suspect reportedly abducted a male child, approximately one year old, in Minna, Niger State, then sold him to an unsuspecting individual in Anambra. The suspect later resold the child to a different person.
“However, on August 4, 2025, the new receiver, upon realizing the child was stolen, returned him to the original suspect.
The suspect then allegedly left the child at an unknown church in Minna, where he was ultimately rescued by the leader of the Igbo community in Minna," the statement mentioned.
In the meantime, Ikenga noted that the police have communicated the child’s current caretaker's information in Minna to the Niger State Police Command for potential recovery, reunification with his parents, and other necessary actions.
The suspect has been moved to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Awka for a thorough investigation and prosecution.
