A Chief Magistrate Court, the Children, Sexual and Gender‑Based Violence Court, sitting in Awka, Anambra State, sentenced Victoria Enwerem (Anosike), 42, to multiple jail terms. Enwerem was arraigned on three counts: conspiracy to steal children, fraudulently enticing and harbouring children, and forcefully isolating children from their parents. These offenses are punishable under the Criminal Code, Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria (1991), and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition and Protection) Laws of Anambra State (2017). The victims were five children aged three to ten years.
While delivering the judgment on Wednesday, presiding Chief Magistrate Genevieve Osakwe stated that the defendant was found guilty of all three charges. She noted that the oral testimonies of the defendant, the plaintiff’s witnesses, and other material presented to the court constituted overwhelming evidence, and that the prosecutor had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt. In sentencing, Her Worship imposed four years’ imprisonment for count one, eight years for count two, and six months for count three, all to run concurrently, with no option of a fine.
According to the police prosecutor, Enwerem conspired in September 2022 with Oluchi Ahamefula, now at large, to steal children at the popular MCC Junction in Onitsha, intending to move them to an unknown destination. She was initially caught during a stop‑and‑search operation in Oraifite, granted bail, then jumped bail. She was later recaptured in a remote part of Ebonyi State in possession of two other under‑aged children she had allegedly stolen. Investigations revealed that she continued the child‑stealing business while hiding in Ebonyi State.
During her second arraignment, Enwerem claimed that her defence counsel, C.D. Nwaka‑Ohuoha, Esq., had deceived her by taking an undisclosed sum of money and advising her to avoid court, promising to have the case dismissed and prevent imprisonment. Visibly angry, the magistrate described the counsel’s conduct as “unprofessional legal practice.” The Chief Magistrate commended the Nigerian Police Force for their persistence in tracking and recapturing Enwerem and urged the Women and Social Welfare Ministry in Awka to urgently write to the Ministry of Women Affairs in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to close the orphanage home allegedly managed by Enwerem.
Reacting to the verdict, Anambra State Women and Social Welfare Commissioner Mrs Ify Obinabo expressed satisfaction with the speedy trial and pledged cooperation with her counterpart in Port Harcourt to seal the orphanage and protect the public. She also thanked the court for safeguarding children in the state and promised to use all her powers to bring the second suspect, now at large, to justice.
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