Mother, 3 others arrested over sale of one-week old baby in Anambra

Four women have been arrested at a purported maternity at Ifite-Awkuzu community, Anambra State for conspiring to buy one week-old baby girl for N1.7 million.

The mother of the baby was among the arrested suspects, spokesperson for Anambra Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said in a statement on Tuesday in Awka while confirming the incident.

According to the statement, the four women were arrested by operatives of the Command attached to the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, on October 28.

The statement indicated that the operatives, acting on credible intelligence, stormed a location identified as Mama Maternity situated at Ifite-Awkuzu in Oyi Local Government where they made the arrests.

“During the raid, the operatives rescued a week-old baby girl and arrested four female suspects in connection with a case of conspiracy and child trafficking,” he said

Ikenga said that preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects conspired among themselves and allegedly purchased a newborn baby girl, barely a week old, for the sum of ₦1.7 million.

According to him, they had reportedly paid an advance sum of ₦350,000 to the purported biological mother of the child, who is among the arrested persons.

The police spokesman said that the baby girl had been safely rescued and currently under protective care.

He said that the Commissioner of Police (CP) in the state, Ikioye Orutugu, had ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Gender Unit, Awka, for discreet investigation and necessary prosecution.

Orutugu reaffirmed the command’s unwavering commitment to the protection of children and the ongoing war against all forms of human trafficking in the state.
(NAN)