Cross River couple sentenced to 15 years each for child trafficking

A Federal High Court sitting successful Calabar, Cross River State, has convicted and sentenced a mates to 15 years’ imprisonment each for their engagement successful kid trafficking, pursuing a palmy prosecution by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking successful Persons (NAPTIP).

The convicts, Esther Ini Udo and her husband, Eyo Stephen Udo, were recovered blameworthy connected 4 counts bordering connected the buying and selling of infants for exploitation, successful usurpation of Nigeria’s Trafficking successful Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015.

According to tribunal proceedings, Esther sold her ain newborn babe for N300,000 to a pistillate identified arsenic Oluchi Judith, who is presently astatine ample and being sought by authorities. Further grounds presented earlier the tribunal revealed that the mates besides purchased a one-year-old kid for N150,000 from 2 individuals and aboriginal resold the kid to the aforesaid purchaser for N400,000.

Delivering judgement, Justice I. Ojukwu expressed beardown condemnation of the act, describing kid trafficking arsenic a sedate usurpation of quality rights and a superior transgression offence.

Although the defendants initially pleaded not guilty, the tribunal recovered them blameworthy connected each charges brought against them.

Justice Ojukwu subsequently sentenced some Esther and Eyo to 15 years’ imprisonment each, with an enactment of a N2 cardinal fine. The condemnation is to instrumentality effect from April 1, 2026.