The Ebonyi State Police Command on Monday rescued two newborn babies from suspected child traffickers.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Loveth Odah, revealed this to the News Agency of Nigeria.
Odah, who spoke in Abakaliki, said the babies were rescued by a team of local vigilantes and Ebubeagu Security Network.
She said the suspects were intercepted on the boundary between Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State and Abaomege axis in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
“They were intercepted during a search by the local vigilantes in the area who alerted the police,” the police spokesperson said.
According to her, the two babies were concealed in bags by the suspected traffickers, Imabong Mathew and Gloria Okon, who is pregnant.
Odah said: “Today we recovered two female babies, who are less than a week and two weeks old respectively.
“The babies have been taken to an Intensive Care Unit of the Alex-Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki for proper medical care.
“After the medical care, the babies will be transferred to the Ministry of Women Affairs to take care of them, while investigation will continue.
“One of the babies suffers from jaundice and the other is in good condition, but they will carry out general test on them.”
Odah said that the suspects were arrested while on their way to Lagos State.
She said that the Commissioner of Police, Garba Aliyu, has vowed to ensure that those involved directly or indirectly in the case were prosecuted.
The Commissioner, who commended the Chairman, Onicha Local Government Area, Ogbonna Igboke, and the vigilantes for the arrest, urged all community leaders in the state to be security conscious.