A woman based in Portharcourt,Mrs Sandra Godknows has accused the Divisional Police Officer,DPO of Igwuruta Police Station under Ikwerre Area Command, Rivers State of refusing to produce two suspects the DPO released after their arrest in connection with alleged trafficking of her late brother’s ten year old Son and the younger sister,aged 8.
The suspects are a lawyer based in Igwuruta,Rivers State and one John, owner of orphanage home in Imo state.
In an interview with Journalists,
Mrs Godknows said she received a phone call one fateful Tuesday by 7pm from her brother in the village that their late brother’s Son is in Igwuruta Police Station,that she should go to that place and know what is happening.
“When I moved down there on Wednesday 18, February,2026 my late brother’s Son ran to me and hugged me.The boy told me that the mother brought him and the younger sister to one man operating an orphanage home,John .The Orphanage home gave out his sister before him.One lawyer that stays at Igwurita now took him from the owner of the orphanage home.
“The boy was staying in Igwuruta with that Man (lawyer).He over heard the lawyer discussing how he will take the boy to another place he(boy) don’t know.So that made him(boy) to be afraid.He Jumped the fence and started shouting for help .Someone came for his rescue and took him to OSPAC.He took the OSPAC to the lawyer’s house in Igwuruta and the lawyer was arrested by OSPAC and taken to Igwuruta Police Station.
“The IPO at Igwuruta Police Station said we have to go for investigation at Imo State.I mobilized and we went to Imo state and arrested the owner of the Orphanage home and brought him to Igwuruta Police Station.
“When we got to the Igwuruta Police station,the owner of the orphanage home and the DPO hugged themselves and had a handshake.The DPO said the owner of the Orphanage home is his good friend.
“Is there the owner of the Orphanage home picked his phone and called his relatives that they should not bother or come that where he is,is the rightful place.That he will be coming back safely.
“The DPO now asked me if I have any question to ask the owner of the Orphanage home.I told the DPO to tell the owner of the Orphanage to produce the woman who gave him this children,so that she will come and explain herself.The DPO said I should go and look for the woman since she is my late brother’s wife.Is there I knew the DPO has changed.
“I now ran to State CIID, PortHarcourt to ask for help.State CIID sent signal to Igwuruta Police Station to bring the case file and the suspects.SCIID made all their efforts for Igwuruta Police station to bring the case file.And this Igwuruta Police station has refused to bring the file and the suspects till now.The sister to the ten year old boy is nowhere to be found till now.
“The DPO has released the lawyer and the owner of the orphanage home.I am calling on the Police Authority, general public to help me” Mrs Godknows said.
“In her response,the Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State Police Command, Chief Superintendent of Police,CSP
Grace Iringe Koko disclosed that upon enquiry from the DPO of Igwuruta Police Division,the DPO explained that on February 6,2026,a Commander of OSPAC in Ikwerre LGA, Obinachi Wodu, brought the lawyer together with the ten year old boy to the Station.
“The ten year old boy who raised alarm was not comfortable with the family he was adopted to.The Mother of the boy gave the boy to be adopted, according to the Barrister and John Uzoegbu, owner of the Orphanage home, in Imo State.The DPO disclosed that they proved that the child was legally adopted and brought court paper to return the child to the court” CSP Koko said.
Meanwhile, Prince Wiro, National Coordinator, Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign,in his reaction has urged the DPO to transfer the case to State Criminal and Intelligence Department,SCIID in line with standard procedure of case transfer in Nigeria Police Force.
“We all know that when once there is a signal from a unit that is higher than the Division,it is mandatory for the Division to transfer the case to that unit.From what I know private orphanage homes are not empowered by law to give out children for purposes of adoption is only the ministry of Social Welfare.
“So if the DPO claims that the owner of the Orphanage home and the lawyer showed some papers interms of affiividats and the rest of them to show that they legally adopted the children,since the complainant is not satisfied,it is normal that the DPO should produce the lawyer and the owner of the orphanage home at the level of State CIID which is the apex investigating Police unit in Rivers State,where we also have the office of Officer in charge (OC) Legal department so that they can look at the papers to ascertain and verify if the papers are authentic.
‘I also urge the SCIID to extend their investigation to Ministry of Social welfare in Imo state to verify if this children were actually given out for adoption by the Ministry.If the DPO fails to produce the lawyer and the owner of the orphanage home at the level of SCIID, PortHarcourt he should be sanctioned .The Police is a disciplined organization.Efforts should also be made to re-arrest the lawyer and the owner of the orphanage home to ensure thorough investigation so that justice can be served to all the parties involved” Mr Wiro stated.
