How Police Officers, NSCDC In Ebonyi Allegedly Connived To Cover Up Sale Of Newborn Baby For N25million

The family of Mr Nweze Philip Obasi of Umuobuna Etiti Uburu in the Ohaozara Local Government area, Ebonyi State has filed a petition against four officers of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in the state, over an alleged conspiracy, abduction, child trafficking, unlawful arrest, and compounding felony.

The officials include SP Loveth Uche, W/Insp. Maureen Otum, Inspector Valentine Akam, and Mrs. Nneka Akam.  

In the petition addressed to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Annex Enugu, which SaharaReporters obtained on Tuesday, the officers were alleged to be involved in the abduction and trafficking of a baby boy born to Susannah Nwanneka Nweze.

The family in the petition filed through their solicitors, Nzogbu Kingsley and Abel Ikeduchi Oru, Esquries, of Richbeke & Associates, claimed that their daughter, Susannah Nwanneka Nweze was abducted by a known Afikpo businessman and taken to an obscure place at the police clinic Abakaliki by W/Inspector Maureen Otum through the directives and instructions of the Officer in-charge of Juvenile and Women Centre (JWC), SP Loveth Uche.

The petitioner alleged that the officers conspired and sold the baby boy for N25million, giving Susannah, the mother a token of N700,000 and sent her out with warning that if she revealed what happened, she would be eliminated.

Titled: "Conspiracy, abduction, child trafficking, unlawful arrest, compounding felony, threatening violence and conduct likely to cause breach of peace," the petitioner's appealed to the urgent intervention of the AIG as their daughter has been suggested into severe trauma and mental torture with the threats of elimination. 

The petition partly read: "That sometime on the 19th day of June, 2025, I got a distress call from the wife of the landlord to my mother to the effect that my Younger sister, Susannah Nwanneka Nweze was arrested by the men of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Ebonyi state commend, Abakaliki.

"It is our brief that upon our client's visit to the NSCDC office his younger sister narrated her ordeals in the hands of the suspect's.

"That on the first week of March 2025, she was abducted by a known Afikpo businessman who has a shop at Ahia Ofuu in Abakaliki and was taken to Ukpa in Afikpo from where she was taken to an obscure place at the police clinic Abakaliki by W/Inspector Maureen Otum through the Directives and instructions of the O/C JWC, SP Loveth Uche.

"That she was confined and held back for three months and two weeks with her pregnancy, the period which the culprits compelled her to make a video that she would voluntarily sell her unborn baby boy to them.

"That when she eventually gave birth to her baby on 8th day of June, 2025, SP Loveth Uche, W/Inspr. Maureen Otum and Inspector Valentine Akam, conspired and hastily sold the baby boy at the sum of N25million and gave our clients sister, Nwanneka a token of N700, 000.00 while they discharged her on the 11th day of June, 2025 and told her to travel out of the town.

"That since she had no other place to go to, she decided to go back to her late mother's rented apartment at Abakaliki where she related the issue to her landlord's wife upon enquiry on why her breast was wet and dripping like a nursing mother. 

"That her late mother's landlady through the help of her good spirited neighbours involved the men of NSCDC who invited Susannah and took her statement as narrated to her elder brother. That after her statement NSCDC detained her and has since remained in custody without court order where she is being manipulated by the culprits on how to reframe her extra judicial statement to suit their criminality.

"That our further brief is to the effect that O/C Legal of the NSCDC, Barr. Nneka Akam after our client's sister had made her statement came and took her out and changed her statement without inviting the culprits herein for interrogation thereby compounding felony.

"That our client informed us as we verily believe him that his sister informed him that there is a high level arrangement between the O/C JWC and O/C legal NSCDC to release his sister from their custody and take her to unknown destination, so as to conceal their dastardly act."

"However, having regards to the facts and circumstances hereof, our client has been thrown into psychological trauma as he never anticipated such fraudulent and criminal act occasioned on his sister by the culprits."

The petitioners are seeking justice for Susannah and her family. 

"We pray that the foregoing considerations and appeals from our client should merit your timely intervention as follows: Your solicited urgent arrest and investigation of the accused persons on the background of the issues raised above with the view to unravel their criminal activities as escapades," the petition stated.

The petitioners also demanded that the officials produce the sold baby and invite everyone involved in the alleged child trafficking. 

"Compelling the culprits to produce the sold baby henceforth and to invite everyone directly or indirectly involved in the said criminal escapades," they urged.

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters efforts to speak with the Ebonyi State Police Command were unsuccessful as the Command's spokesperson DSP Ukandu Joshua could not be reached. 

The Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC Ebonyi State, Emmanuella confirmed that Miss Susannah Nwanneka Nweze was arrested by the Command but could not provide details of the case.

She instead chose to deny the allegation that NSCDC had not invited the police officers involved in the stealing and child trafficking of the newborn baby.

According to her, "that they never invited the police officers involved is not true because there's a letter sent to them, but meanwhile, I have heard you, I will get back to you let me do some investigation, let me find out something and then I will call you back."

SaharaReporters had reported that the same, Police Officer in-Charge of Juvenile and Women Centre (JWC), Ebonyi State Command, SP Loveth Uche was at the centre of the disappearance of a baby, an Inspector Charity Agwu now demoted rescued from her mentally challenged mother in connevinace with some senior police officers and officials of the Ebonyi State government involved in an organised child trafficking.