Operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have rescued a four-year-old girl, Aisha Rayanu, who was abducted from the Methodist Township Primary School on Chubb Road, in the Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area of the state.
Aisha was allegedly abducted by a 20-year-old woman, Favour Nwachukwu, who took the child to her boyfriend at Akpabuyo, Cross River State, as a replacement for her daughter who was also allegedly stolen.
Parading the suspect during a media briefing on Tuesday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Odiko Macdon, described the incident as unfortunate.
He said, “On January 18, 2022, around 5 pm, one Shuiabu Rayanu, of Sani Ogun Road, Ikot Ekpene, reported that on the same date, she took her children to the Methodist Township Primary School, Ikot Ekpene, and that at the close of school, she went to pick them, but could not find her four-year-old daughter, Aisha Rayanu.
“On inquiry, she found out that an unknown person had gone to the school and took her away to an unknown destination. On receipt of the case, detectives of the Anti-Child Theft Section, SCIID, Uyo, tactically and painstakingly traced and arrested one Favour Nwachukwu Prince of Ikot Effiom Estate, Akpabuyu Local Government Area of Cross River State.
“She confessed that she went to the said school, abducted the girl, and took her to her boyfriend, an ex-militant, in a camp located at Essighi, Akpabuyu LGA in Cross River State, as a replacement for her child that was stolen.
“Little Aisha, whose name was changed to Mirabel, had been with the said ex-militant till her rescue on March 17, 2022, by detectives from the Anti-Child Theft Section.”
Macdon disclosed that the command also arrested a fake female police constable, Caroline Udeme with a police uniform and identity card.
“The suspect had defrauded one Loveth Ifechineke and Joy Joseph, all of Itam Market, of cash and items worth over N500,000. All the suspects will have their day in court as soon as the investigation is completed,” he said.
