How we sold two sisters for N500k each-Suspects

Amanda and Christabel are two sisters now living apart with different couples who bought them from kidnappers for N500,000 each.

Amanda, four, was sold inside a Catholic Church in Enugu State while Christabel, two, was sold to a couple believed to be living in Port Harcourt, River State.

The Nation reports that ,the sisters were stolen last year from Utese village in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State by two ladies who rented one room in their father’s house.

Since June 4, 2018 when the two ladies simply identified as Rose and Mary took them away, their whereabouts have remained elusive even though the police have arrested four suspects who made confessional statements.

The ladies had opportunity to steal the two sisters when their mother, Faith Omokpia, left the children in their care while going to the stream to fetch water. The tenants had hardly spent three weeks in the house when they stole the children.

All efforts by the family to locate the children failed.

According to the 21-year-old Faith,

“I used to leave my children with the tenants whenever I am going out. I went to the stream with my eldest daughter and when I came back, I was told that the children went out with the tenants.

“I thought the girls will soon return home with my children so I went to cook. After cooking, I wanted to go and get some water again when my husband came back.

“He asked me about the children and I told him they went out with the tenants. He said I should go and look for them. I ran out to look for them but did not find them. I have been calling the numbers of those girls and they were switched off.”

When the villagers forcefully broke into the tenants’ room, it was discovered that they had collected their few belongings and vanished.

Faith had since packed out of her home and returned to her father’s house over her missing daughters.  The source said: “

The wife has left the husband. She is now staying with her parents in the next village. Even the husband has not been able to do any work since the children were taken away. They have spent money to visit prophets and babalawos but the whereabouts of their children remain unknown. The wife and her relatives went on air to accuse the husband’s brother of using the children for ritual purposes. We do not know what to do. We need the world to help us.”

Police made a breakthrough in the case when a female suspect identified as Joy was arrested in Onitsha. Joy was in possession of the phone belonging to Mary, one of the ladies who stole the children. Initially, Joy told police detectives that she bought the phone from a road side dealer but later confessed that she bought the children from the suspects.

Mary was trailed to Ondo State where she was arrested and is standing trial.  Rose is still at large.

Joy was said to have taken the sisters to Onitsha where she said she sold them to Ruth Eze, a 58-year old woman. Ruth said one of the babies was sold to somebody living at Ogwashi-Uku while the other was sold to a couple at a Catholic Church in Enugu State.

Speaking to reporters when they were paraded, Joy said it was her boyfriend who introduced the suspects to her. Joy said her boyfriend claimed that the children were brought from Bénin Republic. She said the stolen sisters stayed with her briefly at Agbor in Delta State before she took them to Ruth in Onitsha.

According to her, “

My boyfriend girlfriend called Esther stole the children. My boyfriend asked me to collect the children because they were having misunderstanding at the place they kept the children. They brought them to me at Agbor. I followed to give the children to one woman at Onitsha. I did not sell the girls.”

Ruth, who insisted that the children were still alive, said that it was the police’s job to locate them as they were sold to different childless couples.

According to her, “

I gave them to this woman (Favour) and she gave them out. The children are alive. One is at Nnewi and the other is at Port Harcourt. The commission I got is N30,000. The man that said he brought the children from Cotonou sent his account number where the money was paid into.

I told the children parents that they are still alive. The police should go and apprehend.”

Favour said she is a businessmen woman in Owerri and that she does not know the location of the children.

She said she only helped the couple to adopt the stolen children.

Police sources said another team of investigators returned from Enugu State last week without finding the couple who bought the children. The source said the suspect took the police to the church where the children were sold but could not find the buyers.

In an earlier interview, father of the children, Osaruoname Omokpia, said he has spent over N1.5m in his quest to find his two daughters and visited several communities in Edo, Ondo, Delta, Kogi and other states.

According to him,

“I have been to different herbalists and pastors where I was charged various sums of money ranging from N30,000 to N120,000. I went to Akure, Ondo State when I heard that they saw some children. I was shown the photographs and saw that they were not my children. Before I returned home, my in-laws have taken my children away. They declare war that I was responsible for using my children for money rituals. I challenged them we should go to the herbalist that said I was responsible. I later went to forcefully take my first child from them.

“They said it was my brother that confessed that he took the children for money rituals but the police said there was no confession by my brother regarding the children.

My in-laws including my wife went to a radio station to say it was my brother that is responsible for the missing children.

I have been to several towns and villages in Kwale, Oshogbo, Ile-Ife, Ore, Ofosu, Amukpe, Ondo to visit Pastors, herbalists just to look for solutions and swear if I have a hand in my missing children. They told me my brother and I are innocent. My in-laws were supposed to join and support me. I have spent over N1.5m in search for my children.

“I have not had rest since June 4th when those evil tenants took my children. I don’t eat well again. Even my mother does not eat again. I am scared that nothing should happen to her. I don’t know why the radio station allowed my wife and in-laws to talk on air about things that are not true and they didn’t bother to ask about the other side.

I must fight the battle to the end to see my children. Nobody can take my children away. I have done several days fasting and prayers for the return of my children. I have done all things possible that I have been asked to do just to see my children.”

The Nation

Emeh Achanga

Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.