Police Commissioner parades couple who allegedly stole and sold 6-year-old for N800k
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A man and his wife have been paraded by a Commissioner of Police for allegedly stealing and planning to sell for N2.4 million, two male children – aged five and three – after allegedly tricking their mother with a job offer to part with them.
Cross River Police Commissioner Gyogon Grimah on Friday in Calabar paraded before the media, Idongesit Akpan and his wife Angela over alleged child theft and trafficking.
He also paraded other suspects over alleged involvement in different kinds of crime in the state.
Grimah said Akpan and Angela lured their Facebook friend, Blessing Godday, who is resident in Obubara, to Akamkpa with the pretext of giving her a job.
“Following the promise of a job, she [Godday] travelled to Akamkpa with her two sons, aged five and three respectively,” he narrated.
“Upon arrival at Akamkpa on December 6, they took her and the two children to Aba in Abia State where she was separated from her children.
“When Godday could not see her children again, she returned to Akamkpa, traced the suspects’ home and brought in the police.”
According to Grimah, it was discovered during investigation that the suspects had been involved in child stealing and trafficking.
“They had earlier sold a six-year old child for N800,000, they have concluded plans to sell Godday’s children for N2.4 million,” he lamented.
Grimah described child stealing and trafficking as crimes against humanity which should not be condoned in any society.
He recounted that during the year, the State Police Command charged 399 cases to court, conclusively prosecuted 19 and got 15 convictions.
“Four of the cases were discharged but not acquitted, two are on appeal, 376 are awaiting trial, and 48 have been transmitted to the director of public prosecution for advice.”
Akpan admitted before reporters that he did lure Godday to Akamkpa with the intention to sell her children, adding: “But this is our first time to indulge in child stealing.
“We do not even know how much we would have been given for the sale of the children, we truly regret our actions now.”
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