The Anambra State Police Command has successfully rescued two young boys who had been missing for nine months, following a complex investigation that stretched across multiple states.
The children, identified as 14-year-old Sunday Aliya and 12-year-old Ebenezer Emmanuel, were found in Edo and Delta states after months of painstaking intelligence work by detectives attached to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Gender Section.
Police spokesperson SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed the development in a statement issued in Awka on Wednesday, said the rescue was the result of “intensive, intelligence-driven operations that took the team beyond Anambra’s borders.”
According to him, the case began on January 18, when the boys were reported missing at the Fegge Police Station after they failed to return home from fetching water at a nearby borehole.
The matter was later transferred to the SCID for in-depth investigation.
“Acting on credible intelligence, our operatives traced and arrested one Yusuf in Katsina State.
His confession provided critical leads that eventually led to the recovery of the missing boys,” Ikenga explained.
He added that the first child, Sunday Aliya, was found in Umunede, Delta State, while Ebenezer Emmanuel was later discovered in Benin City, Edo State.
The Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, praised the investigative team for their persistence and professionalism throughout the operation, describing their efforts as “a testament to what dedication and teamwork can achieve.”
He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to pursuing justice regardless of how long an investigation may take.
“We will follow every lead, no matter how distant, to ensure that victims are found and perpetrators face the law,” Orutugu said.
The police further expressed gratitude to members of the public whose timely information helped in tracing the missing boys.
“The cooperation we received from citizens was instrumental. We encourage continued collaboration in all police operations,” Ikenga noted.
Authorities confirmed that contact had been established with the children’s parents, who live in Ilorin, Kwara State, and that arrangements are currently being made for the formal reunion of the family.
AFRIPOST reports that the successful rescue shows the importance of inter-state collaboration in tackling child abduction and missing persons cases in Nigeria.