By Wealth Oghenemaro
Chairman of Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, Mr. Jaro Egbo, has dismissed widespread reports that over 50 children have gone missing in Agbarho community, clarifying that only three cases of child theft have so far been confirmed.
Egbo, who spoke Thursday morning in an interview on Arise Television, described the claims as “an exaggeration of the true situation.”
He explained that his intervention followed a protest by Agbarho women, who alleged that dozens of children had disappeared without any concrete response from government and security agencies.
According to him, after the protest, he visited the community where he met with the Ovie (King of Agbarho Kingdom), the market women leader, and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to ascertain the facts.
“In the process, I called for those whose children had allegedly been stolen to come forward. Surprisingly, only two women did. One was the mother of twins, of which one was stolen, and the other was a woman who had lost her child. The third case was a more recent report. Altogether, three cases have been established—not 50 as being circulated,” Egbo clarified.
He recalled that in May, a scavenger was caught after allegedly abducting a child and hiding the baby inside a sack, an incident that led to the ban on scavengers in Agbarho.
While condemning the abductions, Egbo assured that government was working closely with security agencies to secure the safe return of the missing children and prevent further occurrences.
Last Tuesday, women of Agbarho staged a mass protest over what they described as a “sudden outbreak of child theft” in the community. They claimed that more than 50 children had gone missing in recent months, accusing government and security operatives of negligence.
The protesters demanded urgent intervention, called for a three-day suspension of commercial activities in the kingdom, and urged the monarch and chiefs to employ traditional means to uncover the culprits.
Tension, however, escalated on Wednesday when an angry mob lynched and set ablaze a woman accused of attempting to steal a baby.
Although details remained sketchy at press time, a viral video circulating on social media showed the mob placing a tire around the woman before setting her on fire. Security agencies had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
