Get Guardian on GoogleA Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced a couple to five years’ imprisonment each for attempting to sell their one-year-old son for ₦800,000.
The convicts, Emmanuel Okechukwu Ogbodo, 28, and Peace Ufeabuchi Nnamonu, 22, were found guilty of conspiracy and attempting to sell their child, Godstime Ogbodo, for exploitation.
The offence came to light after a prospective buyer, who was approached for the transaction, reported the matter to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Cross River State Command.
The report prompted the agency to intervene, leading to the foiling of the attempted sale and the arrest of the couple.
The defendants were subsequently arraigned before the Federal High Court, Calabar Judicial Division, on November 3, 2026, on a two-count charge of conspiracy and attempted sale of a child, contrary to Sections 27 and 29 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
They pleaded guilty to the charges, which were filed on October 12, 2026.
Delivering judgment on November 11, 2026, Justice Rosemary Dugbo Oghoghorie convicted both defendants on the two counts.
The court sentenced each defendant to five years’ imprisonment on the first count and two and a half years on the second count, with the sentences to run concurrently.
The judge further ordered that the sentences should take effect from the dates of their arrest.
NAPTIP’s Cross River State Command secured the convictions as part of its efforts to combat human trafficking and child exploitation in the state.
