The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has rescued five children reportedly stolen from the same mother in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area.
State Commissioner of Police, Joseph Eribo, disclosed this during a press briefing on Tuesday in Uyo. He stated that the children, who were taken away on a motorcycle by an unknown man, have been reunited with their mother.
βOn 14/11/2024, at about 3:10 pm, the Command received a distress call from a woman (name withheld), reporting that five of her children had been taken away by an unknown man on a motorcycle. The operatives, alongside villagers from Mbiakpan Ikot Idim and Obio Ibiono, launched a swift operation and apprehended the suspect, one Promise Boniface. The children were rescued unharmed and reunited with their parents. The motorcycle used in the crime was recovered,β Eribo said.
The suspect, Promise Boniface, denied the allegations, claiming he found the children wandering and brought them to his house for safety. According to him, βI saw the children on the road crying and saying their parents were not at home. I took them to my house and even informed my landlord about the situation. They stayed with me for two hours before the youths came.β
In a related operation, the police uncovered a gun-making factory where firearms of various types were fabricated and sold. One suspect, David Nse Emmanuel, was arrested during the raid, while other members of the group fled.
Recovered items included seven newly made single-barrel guns, five double-barrel guns, a steel double-trigger pistol, a broken single-barrel gun, a trigger-handle walking stick knife, and several iron pipes used for gun barrels.
Additionally, the CP reported the arrest of a serial car thief, Kingsley Ernest Nelson, who was previously remanded for similar offenses. Items recovered from him included a Toyota Sienna, a Toyota Rav4, master keys for vehicle theft, and fake car documents.
CP Eribo assured residents of the state that the command remains committed to combating crime and protecting lives and property.