A 72-year-old medical doctor, Daniel Ikebuilo, has been ordered to be remanded in custody over allegations that he bought a seven-year-old boy for ₦700,000 and resold him for ₦2.3 million.
Dr. Ikebuilo appeared before the Anambra State Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Offences Court in Awka alongside two young women, Ifunanya Ogbonna, 23, and Chidiogo Ogbonna, 20. The three were charged with child theft, illegal sale of a minor, and conspiracy. All three entered a plea of not guilty.
The presiding Chief Magistrate, U.E. Onochie, ordered that the three accused persons be held at the Awka Correctional Centre. The case was adjourned to August 13, when the court will rule on their application for bail.
During the hearing, the prosecution counsel, Chinyere Okechukwu, told the court that the incident took place on April 30 in Okpoko, Onitsha. She explained that the two female defendants allegedly conspired to fraudulently take the young boy from his mother, Kosarachukwu Okpala.
“They sold the boy to the doctor for N700,000, and the doctor later re-sold the child for N2.3 million,” Okechukwu stated.
The prosecutor informed the court that the alleged crimes are in violation of the Criminal Code Law of Anambra State, the state’s Child Rights Law of 2004, and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition and Protection Law of 2017.
Okechukwu also revealed that this was not the first time Dr. Ikebuilo and Ifunanya Ogbonna had faced similar charges. She told the court that the pair had been previously arraigned on March 5 for a similar offence.
“Immediately after they perfected their bail application following the March arraignment, they stole another child in April,” the prosecutor said.
