From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Person (NAPTIP), yesterday, arrested six persons for allegedly involving in the sales of two babies in Edo State.
The suspects, it was learnt, were arrested in connection with the alleged sales of two babies delivered at the Grace Maternity Home at Upper Sakponba area of Benin City.
It was gathered that the suspects include Joy Ufunwen Enadeghe (principal suspect, three nurses of grace maternity home as well as the baby’s mother and her boyfriend.
The Edo State Commander of NAPTIP, Bar Nduka Nwanene, who confirmed the incident to our reporter, said the six suspects including the mother of the babies and her boyfriend have been arrested over the incident.
He said the baby’s mother and her boyfriend petitioned the agency that she met the principal suspect in 2020 when she was pregnant and took her to grace maternity home at Upper Sakpoba for delivery, adding that after delivery, Joy and the Nurse, Okogbuwa Tarah, who delivered her of the baby boy forcefully took the baby from her, pushed her out at night while Joy took baby home as her own.
” The victim narrated her story to a Keke rider who harboured her before going back to her parents at Nnewi, Anambra state.
He said ” when her parent demanded for the baby, she came back to Benin to meet the Keke man who harboured her instead of going to meet the suspect to demand for her baby. They became friends and relocated from Benin to Aghalokpe, Delta state and were living as husband and wife.
Nwanene said the principal suspect who was feeling insecure that the woman might resurface to demand for the baby, asked her to come so that she can open a shop for her.
“But when she told her that she was no longer in Benin, Joy then asked her to send her account number to send money for her to start any business of her choice. The victim who was almost due for delivery told her she doesn’t have account, she then ask her to send POS number around her so that she can send the money through the POS”
“She sent the victim N100,000 through the POS, but when she went to withdraw the money, some persons sent by the suspect abducted her with the pregnancy” Nwanene said
He said few days after she was brought to Benin, she went into labour and was taken to the same maternity home where she had earlier given birth and was also delivered of a baby boy in April.
He explained that the suspect and the nurse allegedly took the baby away on the guise of taken the baby to a good hospital for jaundice treatment but sold the baby and told her the baby died, adding that on noticing the countenance of the victim, they planned to kill her to conceal the alleged crime.
“The suspects hired a Keke man to kill her at night but the man took pity on her and took her to a hotel where they harboured girls for human trafficking, adding that she escaped when police raided the place and went back to meet the keke man who she has been living with.
He said during investigation, the agency discovered that the suspect sold the baby N500,000 in Benin, adding that the nurse gave N150,000 to his accomplice.
“The agency also discovered that the supposed victim was involved in the act, she was given money after the sales of the babies, she was working together with the principal suspects as she was being used as baby factory”
Nwanene added that the supposed victim with her boyfriend kept collecting money from the principal suspect threatening to tell her husband that she was not the mother of his child..
Nwanene said one of the babies has been recovered while the agency is making frantic efforts to recover the second baby, adding that they would be charged to Court.
He said NAPTIP under the current Director General Fatima Waziri-Azi, has zero tolerance to all form of human trafficking