Police Rescue Five Missing Children in Ebonyi, Government Seeks Parents for Reunification

The Nigeria Police Force, Ebonyi State Command, has rescued five male children found wandering in different parts of the state and handed them over to the Ebonyi State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development for further investigation and possible reunification with their families.

Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, confirmed the development on Sunday, noting that operatives of the command played a crucial role in removing the boys from the streets and ensuring their safety.

“Operatives of the command rescued the five male children at various locations across the state.

They have been handed over to the Ebonyi State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development for further investigations and to reunite them with their families,” Ukandu stated.

At the Ebonyi State Juvenile Remand Home in Ugwuachara, Abakaliki, the Commissioner for Women’s Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Felicia Nwankpuma, disclosed that the children aged between three and 14 years were found wandering at different times before police intervention.

Represented by the Head of the Child Development Department, Mr. Emmanuel Nkwuda, the commissioner described children as precious gifts who deserve adequate protection and care.

“These vulnerable children were found missing by men of the Nigeria Police Force, Ebonyi State Command, on different dates and at different locations across the state. They were subsequently handed over to the ministry to enable us trace their families and reunite them,” she said.

The state government called on parents and guardians searching for missing children to urgently visit the ministry with verifiable evidence for interview, identification, and possible reunion.

Mrs. Nwankpuma warned that if parents fail to come forward within a reasonable timeframe, the ministry may be compelled to initiate adoption or fostering processes to safeguard the children’s rights to parental care, education, dignity, and a stable identity.

She further clarified that the remand home is neither a school nor a skill acquisition centre, stressing that prolonged stay without structured engagement could negatively impact the children’s social and educational development.

“Some of them have stayed here for as long as four years, others two years, one year, and the youngest for just two months. It is important to notify the public that children within these age brackets are in our care,” she noted.

The commissioner also urged parents to be security-conscious and to avoid allowing strangers unfettered access to their children.

She referenced a recent incident in the Nkwagu axis of the state where some women were allegedly deceived and three children taken away.

The ministry appealed to members of the public with relevant information to come forward to assist in reuniting the children with their biological families.