Four-Year-Old Boy Abducted from Port Harcourt School Rescued in Abuja

A four-year-old boy abducted from a school in Port Harcourt was rescued in Abuja by the FCT Police, who arrested the suspect and reunited the child with his mother after a thorough investigation.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has announced the recovery of a 4-year-old boy, Hope Evans, who was abducted from a school in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and found in Abuja.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the FCT Police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, explained that Hope was declared missing by his mother, Ms. Lydia Jonah Gabriel, on October 31, 2024. The child had not returned home after attending the community primary school in Azube, Port Harcourt, prompting Ms. Lydia to raise an alarm around 2 p.m.

The police revealed that a suspect, identified as Blessing Okoi, allegedly lured the child away from the school premises by offering him biscuits and eggs. Ms. Adeh stated, “The suspect, unknown to the school management, left the premises with the boy unnoticed. It was only later in the evening, when the boy’s family could not locate him, that they realized something was wrong.”

The family visited the school to investigate and learned that the abductor was locally known as “Destiny’s mum.” However, when they went to her residence, they found she had fled the area the same night. The case was initially reported at the Trans Amadi Police Station in Port Harcourt and later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.

Following suspicions that the suspect had traveled to Abuja, the victim’s sister reported the case to the FCT Police Command. Acting on this tip, FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu, ordered a thorough investigation.

On November 29, police operatives tracked the suspect’s movements to Maraba, a suburb of Abuja, where she was arrested. Hope Evans was rescued at approximately 8 p.m. the same day. Ms. Adeh noted that the suspect initially claimed to be the child’s mother but provided inconsistent details, which contradicted information given by Hope’s actual mother.

The child’s mother, Ms. Lydia, was contacted and traveled to Abuja, where she was reunited with her son on November 6.

The FCT Police Command reaffirmed its commitment to protecting citizens and urged the public to report any suspicious activities to law enforcement promptly.

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SOURCES: ALLSCHOOL, DAILY POST