The Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Police Command has recovered a toddler stolen from a school in Port Harcourt in Abuja.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of FCT, CP Olatunji Disu, who handed the child over to its mother yesterday, noted that the baby’s whereabouts was traced with the use of technology.
According to the CP, a dramatic real-life story unfolded recently involving a suspect named Blessing Okoi. The police boss said the incident started on October 31, when Miss Lydia Jonah Gabriel reported the disappearance of her 4-year-old son, Hope Evans, from Community Primary School, Azubie in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to the school officials, a woman, later identified as Blessing Okoi, lured Hope away from the school premises at approximately 1:28.pm, by offering him biscuits and 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 Lydia Jonah, 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 the woman, the family learnt that the suspect had hurriedly vacated the premises on the same night, October 31.
According to Disu, “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.”
Suspecting that the woman 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, CP 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 8pm and the four-yearold 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 has started calling him so. “Investigation revealed that the Suspect, Blessing Okoi, convinced his former lover, named Evans that he was the father of the abducted boy.
That that was the result of the pregnancy she had for him 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.
