The Abia State Police Command has launched a manhunt for a motorcyclist who disappeared with three children while conveying them home from school. 

The incident, which happened at Amaoba Ime Oboro community in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State on Friday, May 10, 2024

The children are Gideon Osinachi, 8, Divine Osinachi, 6, and 4-year-old Israel Osinachi.

Gideon is a primary two pupil, while Divine and Israel are both in Nursery 3 and Nursery 1 respectively.

It was gathered that members of the community went to the Commercial Cyclists Association to inquire about the fleeing cyclist but the leaders said they had no member with such a description.

Confirming the incident to the Vanguard on Thursday, May 17, the spokesperson of the command, SP Maureen Chinaka, said that investigation had commenced, adding that the command is on the trail of the suspect. 

Meanwhile, the children’s mother, Glory Osinachi, who spoke to journalists narrated how the incident happened.

“It happened on Friday at about 4pm while returning from my mother-in-law’s house. Whenever they are returning from school, they would stop over at my mother-in-law’s and then later they would walk home or take a motorcycle,” she narrated.

“On that Friday, my mother-in-law put them on a motorcycle and paid the cyclist N100. The children’s school, my mother-in-law’s house and our house are within walking distance,”

The woman said she only got to know something was wrong after her mother-in-law, in her usual style, came home to check on the children and it was discovered that they never got home.

“The children closed school by 2pm. My mother-in-law put them on the motorcycle when they were leaving. Sometimes, she would call to check if they got home safely, other times she would come to the house to check. The children also used to walk home alone most of the time. This kind of thing has never happened before in this community.”