Mother’s nightmare ends as police rescue five abducted children

• Uncover illegal arms factory, mastermind flees with sons

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has rescued five children abducted by a suspected trafficker, Promise Boniface, at Obio Ibiono.

The children, who were taken from the same mother, were recovered unharmed and reunited with their family.

The Commissioner of Police, Joseph O. Eribo, disclosed this during a briefing at the Command Headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia, Uyo.

Eribo explained that the rescue followed a distress call received on November 14, 2024, around 3:10 p.m., from a woman who reported that an unknown man had taken her children.

Acting swiftly, police operatives, in collaboration with local villagers, pursued and apprehended the suspect. A motorcycle used in the crime was also recovered.

In another breakthrough, the command uncovered a gun-making factory operated by a father and his sons, where firearms were fabricated and sold to criminals.

Acting on credible intelligence, operatives raided the facility, arresting one suspect, David Nse Emmanuel, while the mastermind, Akpan Nse Emmanuel, and his other sons fled.

Items recovered from the factory included seven single-barrel guns, five double-barrel guns, and various tools used in firearm production. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects and trace buyers of the weapons.

Additionally, police arrested a suspected car thief, Kingsley Ernest Nelson, aged 38, and recovered a stolen black Toyota Corolla with registration number ETN 674AA.

Nelson, who has a history of similar offences, was revealed to have been running a car theft syndicate since 2017. Other recovered items included a Toyota Sienna, a Toyota Rav4, master keys, fake car documents, and charms. Investigations to recover more stolen vehicles are underway.

In a separate operation, five suspects—Clement Ime Okon, Thomas Effiong, Joseph Okon Edem, Saviour Agbor, and Matthew Elijah Stephen—were arrested in Aba, Abia State, for negotiating the sale of a stolen Toyota Camry. The vehicle was linked to an armed robbery in Uyo on October 24, 2024. Locally made pistols and charms were recovered from the suspects.

The Commissioner commended the media for its support in disseminating accurate information, which he said had bolstered public confidence in the police. He called for continued collaboration with the public to enhance security across Akwa Ibom State.