A 49-year-old woman, Mrs Augustina Ikyor, has been arrested by the Makurdi Zonal Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP) for allegedly abducting twins in Benue State.
The woman had reportedly pretended to be assisting the mother of the twins before she absconded with the babies.
The Zonal Commander, Bai Gloria Iveren, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, in Makurdi.
According to her, “we received a complaint from a distressed 22-year-old mother of twins who alleged that her twin babies of about two months old were deceitfully taken from her by a woman she barely knew.
“She stated the woman had previously demanded she sells off her twin babies since she had been thrown out of where she was staying.
“Although she rejected the offer, the woman, in the guise of assisting her, took the twins from her to an unknown destination.
“A tactical team of operatives from the command were immediately detailed to handle the matter, and in a swift sting operation, one Mrs. Augustina Ikyor, 49 years old, was arrested and the twin babies (a boy and girl) were rescued.
“The mother and babies are currently in safe custody,” the statement read in part.
Iveren said that investigation was ongoing to ascertain the level of involvement and unravel other accomplices, while she called on the public to be on the lookout for people who lure young girls, mostly single mothers, to sell their new born babies in the guise of assistance.
