Two suspected human traffickers have been arrested in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, after approaching a pregnant woman to buy her unborn baby for N500,000.
The Zonal Commander, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons [NAPTIP], Uyo zonal command, Mr Nduka Nwanwenne, said the duo were arrested on Tuesday morning.
Nwanwenne, in a statement on Wednesday, said another suspect is currently at large.
He added that a search team has been put in place to fish out the fleeing suspect, as the other suspects have availed the command with useful information.
Nwanwenne said the suspects, one Okokon Bassey and Ofonime Bassey, had allegedly approached one Emmanuel Monday and his pregnant wife who is also a mother of two children to buy the unborn baby for N500,000.
He said officials of the agency who were alerted to the offer advised the couple to agree to the terms of the suspects.
The victims, it was gathered, were said to have requested for N10,000 from the suspects as a form of commitment and a sign of seriousness.
Receiving the money, the woman and her two children were handed over to the suspects who took the woman and her children to Port Harcourt on a motorcycle but were trailed by operatives of the agency who arrested them.
“The Uyo Zonal Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has apprehended two suspects for human trafficking in an early hour operation this morning.
“The two suspects, namely Okokon Essien Bassey, ‘M’, 33 years old and Ofonime Essien Bassey, ‘F’, 40 years old were apprehended.
“The suspects had on several occasion approached one Emmanuel Monday and his wife who is a mother of two kids and presently pregnant and requested for the purchase of the unborn baby for the sum of five hundred thousand naira (N500,000).
“On receiving the intelligence, NAPTIP operatives requested the victims to play along with the suspects.
“In the course of several meetings, the victims demanded the sum of N10,000 from the suspects to show their seriousness in what they were being asked to do. Upon the payment of the N10,000 to the victims the pregnant woman, along with their two kids were handed over to the suspects,” the statement reads.
