The mother who sold her son (second from left) and other members of the syndicate
A 22-year-old woman, Faith Sunday, arrested in Lagos for child trafficking has confessed to have sold her one-year-old for N1.5 million to save herself from dying as a result of hunger.
Faith was arrested along with seven other members of a child-trafficking syndicate by detectives from the headquarters of Zone 2 Police Command in the Onikan area of Lagos led by Ngozi Braide.
In her confessional statement to the police, Faith said: “I sold my son in September 2024 to a buyer through Mrs Ibezim Chioma and one Sunday Okputu.
“The buyer, who resides somewhere in Alissa area of Ikeja, paid N1.5 million. Hunger forced me to sell my child to the syndicate. I want to invest the money in a business.”
The Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of Zonal Anti-Crime Unit, Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos, DCP Ajao S. Adewale, who paraded the suspects at the weekend, said the arrest followed an intelligence received by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Adegoke Fayoade.
Adewale disclosed that based on the report, the Zonal Anti-Crime Unit swung into action and that investigation into the activities of members of the notorious child-trafficking syndicate revealed that the suspects specialise in buying and selling of new-born babies, toddlers as well as children of various ages.
Adewale said the syndicate comprised one Sunday Okputu, whom he described as the supplier of the children and Ibezim Chioma, as the gang’s go-between.
He added that the duo sought prospective buyers for their illegal lucrative business.
He identified one Mrs Chinasa Echellibe as the children’s care giver that takes care of the children while awaiting prospective buyers.
He stated that the buyers were apprehended by operatives of the zone led by one Ngozi Braide.
He added, “Five children were rescued from the syndicate. They are a year-old Marvelous Obi who was sold to Ibezim Chioma when he was barely one week old.
‘’Chioma resold him to one Mrs Ken Obi and Mrs Appulus Marina Oluchi, who is currently in Italy but kept him in the care of Chinasa Echellibe, who is the syndicate’s care giver.
“Three-year-old Promise Ifekwuna was sold to Mrs Ifekwuna Ngozi for N500,000 by Mr Sunday Okputu, the ring leader, sometime in 2021. Somtochukwu was found in the care of one Nwakuba Helen Chinyere who stated she was just a nanny employed by her younger sister, Caroline Enwereji, who resides in California, USA.”
