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FCT POLICE RECOVERS TODDLER TWO MONTHS AFTER KIDNAP FROM PH SCHOOL
The police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have recovered a toddler stolen from his school in Port Harcourt.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of the territory, CP Olatunji Disu, who handed the child over to his mother today, noted that the baby’s whereabouts were traced using technology.
According to the CP, a dramatic real-life story unfolded recently involving a suspect named Blessing Okoi.
The incident began on October 31, when Miss Lydia Gabriel reported the disappearance of her four-year-old son, Hope Evans, from Community Primary School Azubie in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to school officials, an unidentified woman, later identified as Blessing Okoi, lured Hope away from the school premises at approximately 1:28 p.m. by offering him biscuits and a boiled egg.
The woman, who was not known to the school management, managed to leave with Hope unnoticed. The disappearance was only discovered later that evening when the child’s family could not locate him.
Upon realising her son was missing, Miss Gabriel, alongside family members, visited the school to gather more information.
They discovered that the woman who took Hope was known locally as “Destiny’s mum.”
However, upon visiting the residence of Destiny, the family learned that the suspect had hurriedly vacated the premises on the same night, October 31.
Disu said, “On November 1, 2024, the family revisited the school and spoke with the headmaster. Several students identified the woman as Destiny’s mother, prompting the family to report the matter to the Trans Amadi Police Station.
“The case was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.
“On suspicion that the suspect may have escaped to Abuja, the younger sister of the victim’s mother came to report the matter at the FCT Police Command, where the FCT Police Command Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu, ordered immediate investigation.
“Following a detailed investigation, police tracked the movements of the suspect, Blessing Okoi, to Maraba, Abuja. After over two weeks of persistent efforts, she was arrested on November 29, 2024, at approximately 8:00 p.m., and the four-year-old Hope Evans was rescued after over two months of abduction.
“During questioning, Blessing Okoi initially claimed to be Hope’s biological mother, referring to him as “David Evans.”
“However, her claims were inconsistent with information provided by the victim’s mother, who confirmed that her son’s name was Hope Evans. She further presented recent photographs of Hope as evidence of their relationship.
“The suspect, Blessing Okoi, confirmed that she actually changed the boy’s name to David and had started calling him so.
“Investigation revealed that the suspect, Blessing Okoi, convinced her former lover named Evans that he was the father of the abducted young boy, claiming that the pregnancy resulted from their relationship some years back. The boyfriend accepted the boy as his own.
“Another twist to the case was that the suspect was found with another young boy, whom she claimed was hers, but that the father had died.
“The FCT Command contacted the mother, who arrived in Abuja on December 6, 2024. The joy of the mother and son knew no bounds as they saw eye to eye after two months and were subsequently reunited in the office of the Commissioner of Police.”
The Commissioner of Police, FCT, advised school owners to pay necessary attention to the safety of children placed in their care by parents.
He further praised the officers who achieved this feat.
The suspect’s arrest was said to have been achieved through meticulous tracking of her movements and interviews with witnesses.
The child, Hope Evans, was unharmed and has since been reunited with his family after receiving medical attention from the FCT Police boss.
CP Disu noted that Blessing Okoi remains in police custody, undergoing further questioning, and will be charged in court accordingly.
