Lovers arrested for selling own child for N450,000

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has detained two persons over suspected child trafficking.

The suspects, Christiana Ibanga and her boyfriend, Inyene Akpan, were apprehended for allegedly selling their own child for ₦450,000.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Timfon John, at a news conference in Uyo, the state capital, said that the case was reported by a member of the public.

John said that on June 15, 2024, the police received an intelligence report that a woman had taken her six-year-old daughter to an undisclosed location.

“Acting promptly on credible intelligence, our operatives swung into action and arrested the suspects on Jan. 14 in Abuja.

“During interrogation, the suspects admitted to selling their own child for ₦450,000 with the assistance of an ally, Saviour Aniedi, in May 2024.

“On Jan. 23, our investigators extended their operations to Aba in Abia State in pursuit of the buyer and the missing child,” she said.

The police spokesperson stated that significant progress had been made in the case, assuring that the other suspects would soon be apprehended.

She further said that the command had intensified its crackdown on illicit drug dealers and criminal hideouts in the state.

John revealed that a female suspect, Happiness George, was apprehended for allegedly selling hemp and other illicit substances.

She added that two other women, Queen Umoren and Joy Chima, were nabbed with illicit drugs at a brothel in Ikot Ebong Village, Odoro Ikot Clan.

The command spokesperson warned criminals operating in the state to desist or face the full wrath of the law.