A 52-year-old man, Dr. Emmanuel Chimaobi Ugwumba, has been arrested by the Enugu State Police Command for his alleged involvement in child trafficking and forgery. The arrest was made by the Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad on September 28, 2024.
According to a statement released by the police spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, Ugwumba’s arrest followed the interception of a public notice concerning an abandoned child. This notice, which was endorsed in the name of the Enugu State Ministry of Gender and Social Development, was published in the Daily Sun newspaper on September 27, 2024, under Ugwumba's direction as the head of OTZ.
Upon his arrest, authorities uncovered his involvement in child trafficking, which led to the rescue of a pregnant woman, a four-year-old child featured in the public notice, and another two-year-old female child.
Investigations revealed that Ugwumba, who claims to be a medical graduate from the University of Jos, owns and operates Chima Hospital and Maternity in Ugbaike Enugu-Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area. Between 2017 and 2024, Ugwumba allegedly conspired with a staff member of the Ministry of Gender Affairs and other accomplices to oversee the antenatal care and delivery of seven children from various mothers, all of whom remain unaccounted for.
Further inquiries showed Ugwumba’s possession of unauthorized documents from the Ministry of Gender Affairs, as well as unverified pest/vector control certificates from the Enugu State Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources.
Ugwumba has since been arraigned in court and remanded in the Nigerian Correctional Custodial Centre, pending further hearings on the charges of child trafficking and forgery. Authorities continue to investigate the case, hoping to trace the missing children and bring those involved to justice.
