Woman steals two-year-old girl, gets arrested in Rivers

Chinenye, a 32-year-old woman from Imo State has been arrested by the personnel of the Elekahia Police Division in Rivers State for allegedly stealing her neighbour’s two-year-old daughter.

It was gathered that the suspect, Chinenye, lives with her neighbour from Akwa Ibom State at No. 79 Olu Obasanjo Road, Port Harcourt. A source in the area told the pres that the child went missing around 7pm on Monday, but a neighbour spotted the suspect leaving the compound with the little girl.

The source added that co-tenants in the compound began searching for the victim after her parents had raised the alarm that she was missing.

It was learnt that the suspect was traced to Waterline along the Olu Obasanjo Road, where she was arrested alongside two of her accomplices at a point where they were about to board a vehicle with the victim sleeping inside a carton.

The source said, “One woman from Imo State, who is living at No. 79 Olu Obasanjo Road, Port Harcourt, kidnapped her Akwa Ibom neighbour’s daughter on Monday around 7pm.

“The woman, who kidnapped the girl, should be 30 or 32-year-old and her victim is two years old. I know the woman’s name to be Chinenye. That night, she was seen by another neighbour carrying the girl out of the house, where they live.

“One hour later, the little girl’s parents started looking for her; that was when we realised what was happening and told the girl’s parents that it was Chinenye, who took her away.

“So, concerned neighbours traced Chinenye to Waterline, where they saw her with a carton as she was trying to board a vehicle. When she was confronted and the carton she was carrying was opened, the girl was found inside sleeping, maybe she was drugged or something.”

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the incident, adding, however, that the details were still sketchy.