VIDEO: Police Launch Manhunt After Three Toddlers Were Abducted by Fake Tenants in Ebonyi

The Ebonyi State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of three children in Nkwagu village, opposite the Nkwagu Military Cantonment, in Abakaliki Local Government Area of the state.

The children, who belong to two different families, were reportedly stolen at about 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 7, 2026, by three unidentified women who posed as prospective tenants.

One of the victims, Mrs. Happiness Ofunna Gladys, narrated that the suspects had arrived at their compound the previous night, engaged the landlord in discussions and were permitted to spend the night in one of the vacant rooms.

According to her, she had gone to the market early that morning to purchase goods for her business when she received a distress call informing her that her two children had been taken.

“I immediately rushed back home and met people gathered, discussing what had happened,” she said. “From what my neighbours told me, the same three women who spent the night in our compound were responsible. They took my two children, a boy and a girl, both between one and two years old.”

Mrs. Ofunna expressed shock over the incident and appealed to security agencies to ensure the suspects are arrested and brought to justice to deter similar crimes.

Another victim, Mrs. Nworie Oluchi, said she first noticed the women on the evening of Friday, February 6, when she returned from the market and saw them discussing with the landlord in the compound.

She explained that the following morning, while washing clothes, she went to look for her two-year-old son to administer his medication but could not find him.

“When I asked his siblings, they told me that one of the women had sent him to buy biscuits for the other children,” Oluchi said. “When I confronted the women, one of them claimed they sent him to buy biscuits and even offered to help bring him back.”

She added that she briefly went inside to change her clothes, and by the time she returned, neighbours raised an alarm that the women had boarded a tricycle and fled with the three children.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Joshua Ukandu, said the children were abducted from their residence by the women who had visited the compound on February 6, 2026.

Ukandu disclosed that the matter was formally reported at the Central Police Station (CPS), Abakaliki, and investigations are ongoing to apprehend the suspects and unravel the circumstances surrounding the crime.

He also reiterated an earlier directive by the Commissioner of Police, CP Adaku Uche-Anya, urging members of Landlords’ Associations in Abakaliki to properly verify the identities of prospective tenants and insist on credible guarantors before renting out properties.

URGENT ALERT | PLEASE SHARE

Yesterday, 7th February 2026, three innocent children were kidnapped in Ebonyi State, at Nkwagu, directly opposite the Army Barracks.

If you see any woman or group of women with children who look like the ones in the video, DO NOT IGNORE IT.… pic.twitter.com/IXvSlllrTQ

— Amaka Ike (@Real_AmakaIke) February 8, 2026