From Everest Ezihe, Owerri
Many traders at the Amaraku weekly market in Isiala-Mbano Local Government of Imo State, were unsettled on Friday when a 7-month-old baby was reportedly abducted by a woman.
It was gathered that the baby girl was taken away by a woman who had only offered to assist the young mother in carrying her distressed child as she marketed her agricultural goods.
A few minutes after the unsuspecting mother relieved herself by giving her little daughter to a strange woman who offered to help as a good Samaritan, she disappeared with the child as the market as usual was crowded.
Lady Agnes Onukwugha who witnessed the incident told The Authority that the innocent baby’s mother, after giving the fleeing woman a rapper so she could carry the child on her back, after a while started shouting, ‘where is my child ?’
According to her,“today in Orie Amaraku Market, I was purchasing some food items when a woman started yelling, ‘my baby, my baby, where is my baby?’
“Because the baby was wailing and upsetting her while she was selling Okro and other vegetables, she had given her 7-month-old baby girl to a stranger. After placing the infant on her back, the stranger vanished into the mob. The woman began screaming and sobbing when she realized the woman was no longer in sight.
“Other nearby traders assisted in the hunt for the woman but were unable to locate her. Given that there were over five thousand persons in the market, it’s possible that the woman was hypnotized by the stranger. Because no responsible mother would release her child in such a setting” she said.
Recall that a female neighbour in Imo State’s Amato community abducted four children of her neighbours between the ages of two and four about a month ago.
Unfortunately, both the neighbour’s location and the children’s whereabouts are still unknown at this moment.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Command, Henry Okoye, stated that he had yet to be briefed on the news at the time this report was being filed.
