Anambra State Police have taken a woman into custody after officers discovered three children dead and a fourth fighting for her life at her home in Umuoduba Village, Ideani, in the state’s Idemili North Local Government Area.
The suspect, known locally as “Ezenwanyi” and identified by neighbours as a traditional healer, was arrested on Wednesday after four children were found unresponsive on her property. Medical personnel pronounced three of them dead shortly afterward, while the surviving child remains in critical condition under hospital care.
Details about how the children — said to range in age from six to fifteen — ended up at the property have not yet been made public, and none of them have been formally identified.
According to residents, the discovery early Wednesday morning left the community shaken. One neighbour described the scene as chaotic, saying the children were found unconscious and that three showed no signs of life by the time help arrived, while the fourth was rushed to a hospital still breathing.
The woman reportedly also raised livestock, including pigs and poultry, on the same premises. She was taken into custody by police from the Ogidi Divisional Headquarters, working alongside local leaders. The children’s bodies have since been moved
to a mortuary.Social media clips that emerged afterward showed the local Divisional Police Officer touring the compound alongside community leaders, security volunteers, and the area’s President-General, walking through shrines and living quarters as onlookers gathered nearby. In the footage, the suspect herself appeared to guide officials around different parts of the property.
Police Response
Anambra Police spokesperson SP Tochukwu Ikenga issued a statement expressing the command’s distress over the discovery of the four unconscious children. He said officers from Ogidi Police Station responded quickly once alerted and rushed the victims to hospital, but three could not be saved.
Ikenga confirmed a female suspect is now in custody and that the case has been handed to the State Criminal Investigation Department for a full investigation. He added that investigators are hopeful the surviving child, once medically cleared, will be able to provide an account of what happened.
The bodies of the three deceased children have been preserved for autopsy. Ikenga offered condolences to the affected families and the wider Ideani community, and appealed to the public to stay calm, avoid circulating unverified claims, and let investigators carry out their work. He said further updates would follow as the probe continues.
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