Four Women Claim To Be Six Year Old Boy’s Mother, Panel Orders DNA Test

Four women are presently claiming to be the mother of a six-year-old boy that was abducted.

An Independent Investigation Panel (IPP) set up by the federal government to look into the activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and other units of the police have therefore ordered a DNA test to verify the biological mother of the child identified as Elija Tanko.

Justice Suleiman Galadima, the chairman of the panel being coordinated by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said the DNA test will be carried out by an independent body to be employed by the commission.

Inspector Desmond Habila, the police officer responsible for handling the case revealed that Elija was rescued in Abia state from Ifeoma Eboniyi and Emmanuel Onyekwere, who are supposedly members of a child abduction syndicate. The boy was later sold to a woman known as Uloma in 2019.

Out of the four women laying claim to Elija is one Esther Tanko who claims that the boy was abducted when she was returning from work. The other three women who have also come forward to state that Elija is their child are Ifeyinwa Vera, Rosemary Chidiebere, and Jumui Muniat.

However, of the four women laying claim to the child, only Mrs. Tanko showed up in court and tendered a birth certificate, polio vaccination card, and a photograph of the boy as exhibits.

Tanko also alleged that she reported the abduction of her child at Bwari police division in Abuja and had identified the abductors of her son as a man and woman.

She claimed that she saw her son being paraded by the police on TV but she could not claim him because other women had lay claim to the same child.

The case has been adjourned to November 19.