A man, Gabriel Ekpiri of Ekit Itam Akpan Obong in the Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, who allegedly sold his 9-year-old son has confessed that he committed the crime because of economic hardship.
Penpushing reports that the Akwa Ibom State Police Command Public Relations Officer Odiko Macdon, made this known in a statement, and that the suspect said to have been arrested sold the son for N400, 000.
The police spokesperson, a superintendent of police in the statement added that the suspect attributed his action to devil, stressing that the Commissioner of Police in the state Olatoye Durosinmi, has condemned the action describing it as barbaric and unacceptable.
Penpushing further reports that the incident occurred three weeks after a High Court in the state sentenced three women to death for child trafficking, explaining that the convicts which identities were Enobong Sunday, Gertrude Thompson and Mary James, abducted three children and sold them off in Aba, Abia State.
The Police Command in the statement stated that one of the convicts, Gertrude Thompson, from Ikot Eyo in Nsit Ubium Local Government Area, confessed to making N500, 000 per child and N200, 000 for those who brought the child for her.
Penpushing also reports that it is recalled that in November 2021 operatives of the Anti-Human Trafficking unit of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in the state arrested a couple for allegedly selling their two daughters for N700,000.
The statement added the couple, confessed to the crime and blamed their action on extreme hardship, while in similar vein, in March 2020 a woman in the state identified as Nse James confessed to selling her 3-year-old old baby for N300, 000.
Penpushing reports that the woman confessed to selling several children in the past, and had led police officers to Nkanu-Isiala Ngwa local government area, where a 1-year-old child was rescued, and another suspect was arrested.
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