HomeNewsStolen in Abuja, rescued in Lagos
Stolen in Abuja, rescued in Lagos
By Onyedi OjiaborPublished TodayNewsRating: Unrated

Chukwudi Nine-month-old Chukwudi Emmanuel was stolen by a family friend suspected to be a ritualist in Abuja and was fortunately found in Lagos 28 days after. Onyedi Ojiafor recalls his parents’ harrowing experience



We were traumatised, distressed and injured psychologically. We experienced severe emotional shock but we did not give up."

With these words, Mrs. Gladys Nwinyinya summed the mental torture her family went through when their nine-month-old baby boy was stolen by a suspected woman ritualist.

Mrs Nwinyinya said the harrowing experience, which lasted 28 days before the baby was miraculously rescued, has changed the family’s world view, orientation, mindset and attitude towards other people.

The story of the theft and rescue of Chukwudi was told by her mother in whose care the baby was stolen and Mr. Obasi Ofia, a National Commissioner in the Federal Character Commission (FCC) representing Ebonyi State. But for the prompt action of Ofia, who hails from Isu, Onicha Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, as the Nwinyinyas, the case of the stolen baby would have ended on a sad note.

It was indeed a story of pretence and deceit perfectly crafted and executed by the suspected ritualist. No thanks to the naivety displayed by the mother of the baby. Mrs Nwinyinya naively handed over her baby to the suspected ritualist, simply identified as Ngozi, a native of Awgwu, Enugu State. Ngozi feigned friendship with the Nwinyinyas, patronised Gladys who sells telephone cards at Idu Karmo, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. For about one month the friendship lasted, Ngozi did not only visit Mrs Nwinyinya at her makeshift shop, she became close to the Nwinyinyas, made their recharge card shop a daily stopover point, and occasionally assisted Gladys to change her baby’s wet clothes.

Little did anyone know that she was only bidding her time. Mrs Nwinyinya said: "The only thing I did when Ngozi continued to come around to carry my baby, change her wet clothes, play with the baby, is to tell my husband how friendly she is."

The pretence continued until October 5 when Ngozi felt it was time to strike. Mrs Nwinyinya said that Ngozi waited until she was alone with her baby. "As usual, Ngozi came and carried my baby and told me that she wanted to buy potatoes across the street. I did not suspect anything when I allowed her to go with my baby. But as Ngozi was about to leave to buy potatoes, my little sister, Gift, walked in and insisted on going with Ngozi."

Gift, a 10-year-old girl, turned out to be the undoing of Ngozi as she escaped to narrate the fate that had befallen Chukwdi.

After waiting for more than one hour for Ngozi to return with her baby, the mother became apprehensive.

"My sister rushed back and told us that Ngozi has disappeared with Chukwudi. She told us that as they were going to buy potatoes, they meandered from one street to another. She told us that when she became tired, she asked Ngozi where exactly they were going to buy potatoes and Ngozi pointed at the next compound.

"She said that Ngozi offered her N100 to go and buy Gala. My sister said that she bought Gala, Ngozi gave her one and took one. My sister said that when they got to one secluded house, Ngozi entered and collected the key to one of the rooms from a woman. My sister said that she was given money to go and buy soft drink. She said that when she came back, two boys pushed her away when she attempted to enter the room Ngozi entered with my baby. My sister said that she ran to the adjacent house and narrated the incident to policeman nearby."

The policeman, Mrs Nwinyinya said, followed Gift to the house only to discover that Ngozi and baby Chukwudi had gone."

Luck, however, ran out of the woman who handed the key to her room to Ngozi as she was apprehended. Through her, two other boys identified as Ngozi’s friends, were also nabbed. While one of the boys gave the full name of the suspect as Ngozi Azubuike, the police retrieved a phone number from the other through which they called and got Ngozi. The baby was crying when the police got the suspect on the phone.

After some days, the station transferred the matter to the FCT Command. The three suspects arrested were also handed over to the command.

Mrs Nwinyinya spoke of her frustration when, after a few days, the three suspects were unconditionally released.

Ofia said that the Nwinyinyas reported the matter to Isu Community meeting in Abuja from where the decision to contact him was taken. "From that point, I took up the matter, and on October 27, I got a lawyer to articulate what happened. First of all, I took the matter to Inspector-General’s Office but the IG was not in his office when I went there.

"The Chief Security Officer to IG advised me to report the matter to the FCT police command. I re-routed my petition to the FCT Command. When they acknowledged receipt of my petition, I went back and wrote another letter to the IG and attached the petition to the FCT Command."

According to the FCC Commissioner, following the directive of the IG, the police at the FCT command swung into action and used the MTN number of the suspect to track her in Lagos where baby Chukwudi was retrieved.


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Jesus Christ.

They don start again , be more careful

So our police fit do this kind of good job, I thank God she was apprehended and I am really glad that our Police force could be proactive. I only wish it would be more often