The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, FCT Command, has apprehended a 42-year-old man, China Telpesa Solomon Tali, for allegedly attempting to sell his 8-year-old son for N20 million in Abuja.

The arrest also led to the apprehension of another individual, Pius Aondoakaa, involved in the illicit transaction.

Commandant Olusola Odumosu, while parading the suspects at the FCT Command headquarters, disclosed that the NSCDC’s intelligence unit tracked and arrested Tali on January 10, 2024.

The arrest followed a proactive engagement by the command’s intelligence personnel.

“The FCT Commands’ ardent and astute intelligence personnel in their proactive engagements in January 2024, intercepted a father who conspired with another to trade an eight-year-old boy who he claimed to be his child for the sum of N20 million in the FCT,” stated Odumosu.

According to the Commandant, following a tip-off, the suspects were placed under surveillance. Pius Aondoakaa, seeking a higher bid, rejected an initial offer of N12 million, demanding N20 million for the boy and offering a ‘she-goat’ (girl child) for N15 million.

“In view of this, the acclaimed father of the boy, Mr. China Telpesa Solomon Tali was lured to Abuja on the 10th January 2024 by the FCT Intelligence Personnel who posed as a buyer and agreed on the terms to buy and pay the sum of N20 million,” added Odumosu.

When questioned, Tali attributed his crime to hardship, stating that he intended to use the proceeds from selling his son to care for his other children.

Notably, the son, who accompanied him during the parade, was unaware of the sinister plan.

Both suspects, hailing from Logo Local Government Area of Benue State, were handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons for further investigation and prosecution.