The Anambra State Police Command has apprehended a couple who purchased a one-month-old baby for the sum of N30,000 in Lagos. The interception took place at the River Niger Bridgehead in Onitsha on December 17, 2023.
While the identity of the couple was not disclosed, the State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, revealed that they were traveling in a luxury bus belonging to a popular transport company.
According to Ikenga, the arrest was triggered by a vigilant co-passenger who noticed that the mother was unable to breastfeed the baby despite its cries for food during the journey. The concerned individual promptly contacted the Anambra Police control room hotline in Awka, which relayed the information to the police at Bridgehead in Onitsha.
Law enforcement officers lay in wait for the described luxury bus and successfully intercepted it in the evening. The couple and the baby were identified and brought in for questioning, during which they confessed to purchasing the child from its mother in Ajah, Lagos, for the sum of N30,000.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Aderemi Adeoye, expressed appreciation for the public-spirited citizen who provided the crucial information leading to the rescue of the child. CP Adeoye also commended the police operatives for their vigilance and dedication to duty.
The CP has directed that the couple be handed over to the National Agency for Prohibition in Trafficking of Persons (NAPTIP) for further investigation and prosecution. Meanwhile, the rescued baby has been handed over to the Ministry of Women Affairs for care by the state government. The incident underscores the importance of public cooperation and the commitment of law enforcement in combating human trafficking and child exploitation.
