The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has uncovered an alleged child trafficking network in Cross River State involving the sale of newborn babies for millions of naira.
The agency said a week-old baby girl was allegedly stolen from her biological mother in Akwa Ibom and sold for N3 million to a woman in Cross River who had allegedly claimed to be pregnant.
The Head of Operations, NAPTIP Cross River Command, Mr Jacob Oba, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Monday.
According to Oba, the case came to light after members of the community stopped a vehicle carrying several women and a baby. One of the women allegedly claimed to be the child’s mother but reportedly failed to breastfeed the baby when questioned by security personnel.
The woman and two others were subsequently taken in for questioning, leading investigators to the alleged supplier of the baby. NAPTIP said the supplier later confessed to selling the child for N3 million.
Oba explained that three women in Obubura had allegedly claimed to be experiencing “cryptic pregnancies” and had reportedly arranged with midwives to obtain newborn babies to support their claims.
The investigation further established that the baby’s biological mother was in Akwa Ibom, supporting the allegation that the child had been stolen before being sold.
NAPTIP also suspects that some of the women may be linked to baby factory operations, although the agency said the particular baby involved in the case was allegedly not obtained from the facility of the suspect under investigation.
The suspects were arrested on June 22, but NAPTIP said the case was not immediately made public because investigators needed time to establish the facts.
Oba said the suspects would be charged to court, with further proceedings expected in October as investigations continue.
