A joint taskforce, comprising Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra (OCHA Brigade) and the Anambra State Ministry of Women Affairs, has rescued 13 children from suspected traffickers in Otolo Nnewi.
The operation also led to the confiscation of fake documents used to facilitate the illicit activity.
The rescued children, aged between two and 12, were reportedly malnourished and deprived of education.
Authorities believe the traffickers had adopted and sold the children to individuals across various regions of the country.
Angela Okechukwu, the suspected trafficker, along with her accomplices, has been arrested.
Speaking on the matter, Comrade Celestine Anere, Managing Director of OCHA Brigade, condemned the deplorable conditions the children endured.
He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to eradicating criminal activities and warned perpetrators to desist or face severe consequences.
Community members, Ikechukwu Nnabuike and Ifechukwu Okoro, expressed gratitude for the government’s swift intervention.
They recounted previous efforts to raise concerns about the woman’s activities, which had been ignored, and applauded the taskforce for its decisive action.
The Anambra State government has reiterated its determination to protect vulnerable children and ensure those involved in trafficking are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
