Abducted Twins: One dead, Two Recovered, One Still Missing

By Nwogha Ndubuisi Andy

In what appeared like moon light tale, just few months ago, the media was agog over the news of one Mary Emmanuel Akpanke, who was allegedly hypnotized and her four children were stolen by child traffickers at Tycoon Hotels, Abakaliki. 

Mary lost four of her children identified as Marvelous, Mercy, Promise and Peace to traffickers in Ebonyi State at early morning of Saturday May 7, 2019, on their way to Cross River State. 

Current News24 gathered that out of the four children kidnapped, one of the stolen children has been killed by the traffickers and his remains thrown into the bush in Imo State.

 Speaking with the Father of the children, Mr. Akpanke, he revealed that in the course of finding the missing children only two, Marvelous and Mercy were recovered and one of the triplets, identified as Promise has been killed by the traffickers for allegedly being sick.  

He further disclosed that the whereabouts of the last one, Peace Akpanke was still unknown as at the time of filing this report.

 Mr. Emmanuel Akpanke, disclosed to our reporter that the children were found by the police in Umuahia where they were already been sold out for one million two hundred thousand naira.

He narrated that the lady who stole their children was arrested by the police in Owerri when luck ran out on her in the process of selling another child. 

Adding that in the course of her arrest, she took the police to the gang leader simply identified as Chioma, according to him, Chioma sold the stolen children to interested buyers.

He said that Chioma revealed the buyers, one of whom was in Umuahia, and he was arrested and the twins recovered from him and another buyer, a Reverend priest who bought one of the two children who were a year and four months was said to had absconded.

He, however,stated that the police arrested the wife of the Reverend who confessed that the children were in Abuja. 

Mr. Akpanke said that the suspects who were arrested were later released on bail but were re-arrested when it was discovered that one of the children had being allegedly killed and his remains thrown into the bush.

He expressed sadness over the inability to recover his other missing child, Peace, as he lamented the death of two of the triplets. And according him, one died during the kidnap saga and one was killed by traffickers. 

Recall that the children where kidnapped by a stranger who hypnotized their mother at Ochoudo park while they were traveling home to Cross River State, pretending to render assistance to her and in the course stole four of her children when the suspect trafficker took mother of the triplet to Tycoon Hotel, Abakaliki,where Out of the children stolen, two are twins while the other two are triplets of a year and four months, out of which one has been killed and one still missing till date.