A dramatic real-life incident unfolded recently, involving a suspect named Blessing Okoi.
The incident began on 31st October, when Miss Lydia Jonah Gabriel reported the disappearance of her four-year-old son, Hope Evans, from Community Primary School Azubie in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to the FCT Police Command spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, the school officials said, “An unidentified woman, later identified as Blessing Okoi, lured Hope away from the school premises at approximately 1:28 PM by offering him biscuits and eggs.”
Adeh said: “The suspect, who was not known to the school management, managed to leave with Hope unnoticed. The disappearance was only discovered later that evening when the child’s family could not locate him.”
Upon realising her son was missing, the mother, Lydia Jonah, alongside family members, visited the school to gather more information. They discovered that the woman who took Hope was known locally as “Destiny’s mum.” However, upon visiting the residence of Destiny, the family learned that the suspect had hurriedly vacated the premises on the same night, 31st October.
“On 1st November 2024, the family revisited the school and spoke with the principal. Several students identified the woman as Destiny’s mother, prompting the family to report the matter to the Trans Amadi Police Station. The case was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation,” Adeh explained.
On suspicion that the suspect may have escaped to Abuja, the younger sister of the victim’s mother came to report the matter at the FCT Police Command. The Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu, ordered an immediate investigation.
Adeh said: “Following a detailed investigation, police tracked the movements of the suspect, Blessing Okoi, to Mararaba, Abuja.”
“After over two weeks of persistent efforts, she was arrested on 29th November 2024, at approximately 8:00 PM, and the four-year-old Hope Evans was rescued after over two months of abduction.
“During questioning, Blessing Okoi initially claimed to be Hope’s biological mother, referring to him as ‘David Evans.’ However, her claims were inconsistent with information provided by the victim’s mother, who confirmed that her son’s name was Hope Evans. She further presented recent photographs of Hope as evidence of their relationship. The suspect, Blessing Okoi, confirmed that she had actually changed the boy’s name to David and had started calling him so.”
Adeh added: “Investigation revealed that the suspect convinced her former lover named Evans that he was the father of the abducted young man and that he was the result of the pregnancy she had for him some years back. She said the boyfriend accepted the boy as his own.”
The FCT Police Command contacted the mother, who arrived in Abuja on 6th December and was overjoyed to be finally reunited with her child after two months.
The Commissioner of Police, FCT, used the occasion to advise school owners to pay necessary attention to the safety of children put in their care by parents. He further praised the officers who achieved this wonderful feat.
Adeh concluded: “The suspect remains in police custody undergoing further questioning and would be charged to court accordingly.”
Another twist in the case was revealed when the suspect was found with another young boy, whom she claimed was hers, but she asserted that the father of the child is dead. Investigations into this claim are ongoing.
