The Ebonyi State Police Command on Tuesday said it has rescued four teenagers, who were abducted and taken to Ghana for prostitution.
The command said it has also recovered one general-purpose machine gun, 10 rounds of chain bullets and five motorbikes from four members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) operating in the state.
The state’s Police Commissioner, Mr Aliyu Garba said this while briefing journalists on the recent achievement of the command in Abakaliki, the state capital.
He said the four IPOB members were suspected of killing seven persons while enforcing the sit-at-home order on August 9, 2021.
He said the four suspects were arrested in the Onicha Local Government Area of the state while the teenagers were abducted at Ivo Local Government Area.
“On the 25th August 2021, a case of abduction and child trafficking was reported at Ivo Division against one Chukwu Chinecherem, age 20 years and Ogbonna Justice, age 19 years, both of Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State who allegedly abducted and trafficked four female teenagers to Ghana for prostitution.
“But luck ran out on them when the police operatives attached to anti-human trafficking of the command arrested the two suspects in their bid to abduct one Faith Ogbonnaya (female) for the same purpose.
“And the efforts of the operatives yielded success in rescuing of the four among the five victims,” the police officer said.
When interrogated, one of the female teenagers, age 15, said she was raped by four men in Ghana on her first day of arrival.
She said she was abducted by two people, took an oath not to expose her mission and was taken to Ghana without the knowledge of her parents.
