The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has apprehended a woman posing as a Reverend Sister, involved in the trafficking of 38 children under the pretext of offering them better care in Delta State.
The suspect, 40-year-old Maryvianney Ikejimba (alias Oluchi), and her accomplice Chidera, who remains at large, allegedly handed the children over to two orphanage homes, as reported by The Punch.
This operation was part of a ruse that the children were being taken to a safer environment from a farm community in Enugu-Awka camp by the Monastery, Ilah, Delta State.
Ikejimba was arrested following a tip-off when she visited the farm community to potentially recruit more children.
The NAPTIP Zonal Commander in Benin, Nduka Nwanwenne, confirmed the arrest, noting that Ikejimba had deceived the parents into believing she was a trained Reverend Sister from Ghana with affiliations to a headquarters in the Philippines.
Nwanwenne detailed the deception, stating, “To convince the parents when they were handed over the first batch of the children, he said the suspects asked two of the parents to follow them to know the two orphanage homes the children would stay.”
The agency has successfully recovered 32 of the trafficked children, while six others, aged between three and six years, are still missing.
“The suspect claimed that three of the six children are in Badagry while the other three are in Ogun State but later said they have been adopted by people in the East,” Nwanwenne explained.
He also disclosed the timeline of the trafficking, “On January 28 the suspect was given 12 children while on February 19, she was given 26 children bringing the total number of children in her custody to 38.”
NAPTIP is continuing its efforts to locate the remaining children and the fugitive accomplice.
Nwanwenne emphasized the importance of parental vigilance and caution, urging parents to scrutinize anyone claiming guardianship over their children.
The agency vows to press charges against Ikejimba and her accomplices once the investigation concludes.
