Policeman steals new born baby at gunpoint, Sells baby for N600,000

A Police Corporal, Uche Odoemena, has been arrested for snatching a newborn baby at gunpoint from its mother and selling same for N600,000. Odoemena, who allegedly committed the offence in Anam­bra State, serves in the Imo State Command of the Nigeria Police.

Officials of the Imo State Po­lice Command, who confirmed the incident said that the Police Com­missioner, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, is leaving no stone unturned to unravel how Odoemena sold the baby he stole. Odoemena has already been dismissed after an orderly room trial and has been remanded in police custody.

Odoemena, popularly called the “Prince”, was attached to the Okigwe Area Command of Imo State. A source who sought an­onymity said that Odoemena, who is married to a fellow offic­er, Sergeant Cynthia Odoeme­na, had in the past been accused of human trafficking but with­out proof.

The source said that Odoe­mena allegedly snatched the newborn baby at gunpoint from the yet-to-be identified mother in Anambra State and sold the same baby for N600,000. It was further gathered that men of the Anambra State Po­lice Command tracked Odoe­mena down and arrested him following a complaint by the ba­by’s mother. The Anambra Police Com­mand later handed him over to the Okigwe Police Area Com­mand.

It was gathered that the Imo State Police boss has ordered that Odoemena should be dismissed and be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others. When contacted, the Imo command’s spokesperson, DSP Andrew En­werem, he said: “Just hold on, we are going to address the press very soon.”

Meanwhile, the Enugu State Police Command has rescued a four-year-old girl, Miss Chi­necherem Irechukwu, who was abducted from Unity Prima­ry School Inyi, Oji River Local Government Area on Decem­ber 15, 2016. According to the Police, her abduction was masterminded by one Chinedu Chukwu, her cousin, accompanied by her boy­friend whom the police identi­fied as Mr. Osunkwo Chinonso.

The two suspects, on the said date, came from Anambra State and went to the primary school and made away with the girl. They eventually sold the girl for N350,000 to one Florence Nwokocha, who lives at Olokoro, Umuahia, in Abia State.

The state police command Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, in a press state­ment he issued on Thursday, said through police intelligence re­ports, the girl was rescued on January 16, 2017, at Faulks Road, Aba in Abia State. Amaraizu said that the girl has been reunited with her fam­ily while the suspects are help­ing the police with their inves­tigations.

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