A new-born baby boy sells for N670, 000 in Abia

• As Police arrest child dealers

Syndicates who specialize in selling of new born-babies in South East Nigeria have been busted by the Nigeria Police.

The Police Command in Abia State on Monday revealed that three suspects who are members of a child trafficking syndicates have been arrested. A prime suspect includes a 17-year-old girl, identified as Gift Daniel, who sold her two-day-old baby boy at N670, 000.

Anthony Ogbizi, Commissioner of Police, Abia State Police Command, in Umuahia, disclosed that beside the child trafficking syndicates, the Command also arrested no fewer than 22 other suspected criminals, following raids by his men in the wake of renewed criminal acts in different parts of the state.

The 17 years old Gift Daniel admitted that she was coerced to sell the baby due to financial challenges.

She revealed that her first baby was sold by her own mother after delivery, hence, her resolve to personally sell the second baby. She narrated that her mother sent her away from the house, when she became pregnant for the second baby and because of the financial difficulties, she started looking for somebody to help her which compelled her to dispose the child at N670,000.

Daniel revealed that she was given N50,000 by the woman who linked her to the buyer, a  38-year-old Ngozi Nwaiwu, while the nurse, Kate Charles, who helped her during her delivery, got N30,000.

National Daily gathered that Nwaiwu confirmed the sale if the new-born child, confessing she was trying to help Daniel, considering her condition.

The Abia CP also said that a 22-year-old Blessing Chukwu, who sold her three-week-old baby girl was arrested along with the alleged buyer, who gave her name as Chinasa Okpara.

Other alleged accomplices, Mrs. Puphemia Omende and husband, Kelechi, a medical practitioner, were also arrested.

Police alleged that the couple facilitated the transaction at their hospital in Okigwe, where the baby was born.

Okpara admitted that she paid N360,000 for the baby and blamed her action on her 13-year-old childless marriage.

Chukwu noted that she already had four children out of wedlock, saying that she was given N190,000, for the three-week old baby, blaming her action on financial challenges.

The Police said the culprits were arrested at the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, where the baby had reportedly been on admission for the past three weeks.

The Police further revealed that a   23-year-old Rose Chukwu and her relation, Joy Sunday, were arrested while allegedly attempting to kidnap a little boy at Uzuakoli in Bende council Area of the state.

The police said the suspects kidnapped the boy at Township Primary School, Uzuakoli, after school and replaced his uniform with another shirt, adding that they were taking him away when someone alerted the police.

The suspects, however, denied the alleged kidnap attempt, saying that they saw the boy wandering and felt that he missed his way and decided to help him to find his way back home.

The Commissioner assured that the suspects would be arraigned in court at the end of investigations.

He advised criminals in the state to seek genuine ways of earning living rather than engaging in criminality, warning that the Command will not rest in its oars until such bad elements are flushed out from the society.