How couple attempted to sell one-year-old son for N800,000

The Federal High Court yesterday in Calabar sentenced a couple to five years’ imprisonment each for attempting to sell their one-year-old son for N800,000.

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The convicts, Emmanuel Okechukwu Ogbodo, 28, and Peace Ufeabuchi Nnamonu, 22, were convicted on two counts bordering on conspiracy and attempted child trafficking.

Delivering judgment, Justice Rosemary Oghoghorie convicted both defendants on the two counts and sentenced each of them to five years’ imprisonment on count one and two and a half years on count two, with the sentences to run concurrently.

She further ordered that the sentences should commence from the respective dates of their arrest.

According to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Cross River Command, the couple had attempted to sell their one-year-old son to a third party for N800,000.

The agency said it received a tip-off from the intended buyer, who reported the transaction, prompting its intervention and leading to the interception of the proposed sale.

The convicts pleaded guilty to the two-count charge filed on October 12 and were arraigned on November 3.

They were charged under Sections 27 and 29 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.