Nigerian police have arrested a 44-year-old woman for alleged theft of 15 children in the southern Rivers state.

The police say the children were abducted in order to be trafficked by the woman - who claimed to be a nun running an orphanage.

The children are reportedly aged between four and 15 years.

The police said they were working to reunite the children with their parents.

State Commissioner of Police, Friday Eboka, said investigations revealed that some had been abducted years ago, including a nine-year-old boy who had been taken from a market in 2020.

He said some of the children had recounted to the police their experiences of torture and mistreatment.

He said a further probe into the incident was ongoing with a view to arrest other suspects linked to the crimes.

Human trafficking is common in Nigeria.