Child trafficker pays mother N600k, sells 11-day-old baby for N4m; all 3 female suspects confess to crime
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Police have reiterated their pledge to crush the booming crime of child trafficking after the latest saga of the sale of an 11-day-old baby for N4 million out of which the mother was paid N600,000.
The baby has been recovered and is kept in the custody of Delta Police Command.
The mother of the trafficked child, identified simply as Rachael, a resident of Asaba, confessed that she was lured into selling the baby for N600,000.
Three suspects, all women, are in police custody as investigation into the crime continues.
“The father of the child abandoned me and the pregnancy. I was supported by neighbours and people of goodwill before I delivered the baby girl,” Rachael told police.
“Eleven days after delivery, I was introduced to a vendor who promised to help me but later took advantage of my distress and persuaded me to sell the baby. I did, and I was paid N600,000.”
Neighbours who supported Rachael during the pregnancy became concerned when they noticed that she was not with the baby.
Upon enquiry, she admitted to the crime and was arrested by police along with the contact who linked her to the vendor.
Police said the vendor confessed to selling the baby for N3.5 million and to giving the mother N570,000 after deducting N30,000 she previously loaned her.
The third suspect, a woman from Delta who bought the baby, claimed she paid N4 million for it.
Delta Police Public Relations Officer Bright Edafe, who paraded the suspects, confirmed that they all confessed to their involvement in the crime.
“We have come to realise that the business of baby factories is on the rise, and we are going to fight it head-on,” Edafe said in a voice note, per reporting by Daily Post.
“The other day, we apprehended three women who were attempting to transport three different children to Abuja via Asaba International Airport. Thankfully, they were caught and arrested.
“Today, we have three suspects. The mother of the child, who is just over a week old, handed the baby to one woman, who then sold the child to a third woman for N4 million, although she claimed to have received N3.5 million.
“The most shocking aspect is that the woman who sold the baby for N4 million – or N3.5 million, as she claimed – gave the mother not even up to N600,000.”
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Police rescue kidnapped 5-year-old boy, arrest alleged female trafficker aged 40
