Untold story of Delta’s missing children

•Gov Oborevwori orders betterment of each missing child; effectual information successful Agbarho community
•The tales are exaggerated – Olorogun Egbo, Ughelli North LGA chairman
•How they abducted our 4-year-old lad – Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert; They acceptable my guiltless woman ablaze – Mr. Afonughe
•HRM Ogugu I, clerics, villagers clasp supplication session, laic curses connected kid snatchers

By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South, Jimitota Onoyume, Assistant News Editor, and Akpokona Omafuaire

TENSION has gripped residents of the Agbarho Kingdom successful Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State pursuing reports of proliferating thefts of children by mysterious persons. Unconfirmed reports connected kid stealing successful the Urhobo kingdom person been alarming successful caller months.

Some radical claimed that unusual persons person stolen astir 30 children successful the assemblage betwixt June and August this year.

The governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori is furious astir the disappearance of adjacent a azygous kid successful Agbarho and immoderate different assemblage successful the authorities and has directed the president of the Ughelli North Local Government Area, Olorogun Jaro Egbo, to guarantee information and betterment of each stolen child.

Agbarho monarch, clerics laic a curse

The Osuvie (traditional ruler) of Agbarho Kingdom, HRM Sampson Ogugu I, accompanied by respective clerics and indigenes of the community, organized a supplication league astatine the fashionable Five Junction successful the town, wherever they laid curses connected the unusual persons snatching children a fewer weeks ago.

The monarch warned, “I person travel retired to spot curses connected evil people. Anyone stealing our children, bring them backmost oregon other you volition dice earlier December.”

Angry mob sets pistillate ablaze

Meanwhile, enraged villagers, penultimate Wednesday, acceptable 1 Mrs. Afonuhe Eguono ablaze aft accusing her of attempting to abduct a seven-year-old lad successful the community.

Some residents, alleging that she was a kid thief, raised the alarm that attracted an aggravated mob, which descended connected her. They marched her adjacent to the marketplace earlier burning her alive.

Those who spoke connected the bittersweet incidental off-camera insisted that the woman was innocent, adding that she was mentally unstable and truthful could astir apt not explicate herself erstwhile she was questioned
An inhabitant who differed with the assemblage said, “The pistillate was innocent; she was residing successful Agbarho with her family. Her hubby works offshore; the horde killed a blameless woman.”

Anxiety everywhere

Saturday Vanguard visited the Agbarho assemblage during the week. Our reporters established that determination were so cases of kid theft, but determination was thing to validate the assertion that astir 30-50 children person been stolen. However, it was palpable that determination was fearfulness among the residents implicit what they described arsenic incessant kidnapping of children. Some of the residents said that suspects arrested and handed implicit to the constabulary were released, but the constabulary debunked the allegation.

It’s not existent that 50–60 kids are missing —Egbo, Ughelli North LG boss

Olorogun Egbo, a lawyer and president of Ughelli North, told Saturday Vanguard successful his bureau connected Tuesday that helium was alert of lone 3 children missing successful the Agharho Kingdom, adding that the immense fig being bandied astir could not beryllium verified.

“We had 7 cases and later, it came down to six, and now, 3 are unaccounted for. One was a four-year-old kid from a breached home. The begetter of the kid came to instrumentality the kid distant to the Otokutu assemblage successful Ughelli South section government. We person recovered the boy.

“Another one, astir 17 years old, allegedly eloped. We person besides established contact. A 3rd lawsuit was recovered successful a wheelbarrow, different cognize an ‘iron condemn cart,’ pushed by scrap collectors. The kidnapper was arrested and I wanted the household to spell to tribunal implicit the matter, but they said they were not funny since they had recovered their child.

“The grounds from the constabulary and the families is that we are incapable to relationship for 3 children. We are treating the contented with each seriousness. We person said that we volition wage N5,000,000 for immoderate accusation that volition pb america to retrieve immoderate of the children. We person been getting calls from immoderate members of the public. We person been to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Bayelsa State. We are h...