Enugu State Police operatives have apprehended Dr. Emmanuel Ugwumba, a medical practitioner, over allegations of child trafficking and forgery in Udenu Local Government Area.
According to The PUNCH, the arrest was confirmed by the state police spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, in a statement on Wednesday.
Ugwumba was arrested on September 28 by officers from the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad after credible intelligence linked him to a child trafficking network.
“His arrest followed the interception of a public notice regarding an abandoned child, which he endorsed in the name of the Enugu State Ministry of Gender and Social Development as the director of OTZ, published in the Daily Sun Newspaper on September 27, 2024,” said Ndukwe.
The police also rescued a pregnant woman and two female children, aged four and two, during the arrest. “Investigation revealed that the suspect, who claimed to be a medical graduate from the University of Jos, owns Chima Hospital and Maternity in Ugbaike, Enugu-Ezike,” the statement added.
Authorities allege that between 2017 and 2024, Ugwumba conspired with an alleged staff member of the ministry and other individuals, still at large, to facilitate the ante-natal care and delivery of seven untraceable children.
Additional evidence found during the arrest includes various documents from the Ministry of Gender Affairs and pest control certificates issued by the Enugu State Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources.
The investigation is ongoing, and the police promise to provide further updates as more details emerge.
