The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has confirmed the recovery of a 4-year-old boy, Hope Evans, who was declared missing in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on October 31, 2024. In a statement released on Sunday, the command’s spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, revealed that Hope’s disappearance had caused widespread concern after his mother, Ms. Lydia Jonah Gabriel, raised an alarm when he failed to return home from school.
According to the statement, the incident occurred around 2 p.m. at a community primary school in Azube, Port Harcourt. Investigations revealed that a suspect, identified as Blessing Okoi, allegedly lured the child away from the school by offering him biscuits and eggs. Ms. Adeh noted that the suspect, who was not associated with the school, managed to take the child unnoticed, leaving the family in distress.
Ms. Lydia and her family began searching for the child and visited the school for information. It was discovered that the suspect was locally known as “Destiny’s mum.” However, when the family went to her residence, they found she had vacated the premises that same evening.
The case was reported to the Trans Amadi Police Station and later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation. Suspecting that the suspect had fled to Abuja, the victim’s younger sister reported the case to the FCT Police Command.
FCT Police Commissioner, CP Olatunji Disu, ordered an immediate investigation. Officers tracked the suspect to Maraba, an Abuja suburb, where she was apprehended on November 29. At about 8 p.m. that evening, Hope Evans was rescued.
The suspect initially claimed to be the boy’s mother but gave conflicting statements when confronted with evidence from Ms. Lydia. The child’s mother was contacted and arrived in Abuja on December 6, where she was reunited with her son.
The suspect remains in custody as investigations continue.
