23 children kidnapped by Mother and Daughter in Calabar

Firstclass newsline learnt that a 55-year-old woman known as Mrs. Etuk
Effiong and her daughter were on Friday arrested in Calabar, Cross
River State, after they were found with 23 children suspected to have
been abducted and brought to their home.
It was learnt that the elderly woman and her 27-year-old daughter,
whose name was given as Inameti, were arrested by policemen from the
Mbukpa Police Station in Calabar-South axis of the metropolis on a tip
off.
Although the age of the children, who were looking hungry and dressed
in tattered clothes, could not be ascertained, a policeman said they
were between the categories of three to nine years.
The children sat on the dusty floor behind the police counter as most
of them were crying while others slept as the police barred
journalists from taking any picture.
The police did not also allow journalists who thronged the station to
speak with the arrested suspects.
State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Hogan Bassey, who confirmed
the arrest, said the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Henry Fadairo,
would speak on the development after investigation had been concluded.
Firstclass newsline learnt that the two key suspects were picked up on
Friday following a call from the Clan Head of Efut Unwanse,
OkonEtim-Effiong.
Etim-Effiong, who later granted audience to a source in his palace
said, "The landlord of the house at No. 30 Asuquo Abasi Street alerted
me that one of his tenants, Inameti, was camping unusually high number
of children in her one room apartment under suspicious circumstance.
"When I got there and confirmed, I had to alert the police who came
and evacuated them to their station on Mbukpa Street in Calabar-South,
including the suspect as well as another elderly woman whom she
claimed was her mother."
According to the clan head, the principal suspect, the mother, claimed
that she was a general overseer of a church in Akwa Ibom State, where
she was about to move the children.
Etim-Effiong also said that the woman, whose husband's name was given
as Daniel Effiong, is from Ukanafun Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom
State.
He said the suspect claimed that she had "official" permission from
Federal Government to run an orphanage, adding that she took the
children in order to "train" them in AkwaIbom State.
The clan head, who said his quick intervention saved the suspects from
being lynched, believed that most of the children might have been
stolen from different parts of Calabar.
Also giving his version of the story, the landlord of the house were
the children were camped, Mr. Nsikak Ekpo said, "My wife alerted me
early this morning that over 20 little children arrived my compound in
a truck about one hour earlier and were camped in Inameti's one room
apartment.
Firstclassnewsline.net