Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested a lady, Christiana Ibanga, and her boyfriend, Inyene Akpan, for allegedly trafficking their own child and selling the infant for ₦450,000.
The Akwa Ibom State Police Public Relations Officer, Timfon John, disclosed it at the command headquarters, Ikot-Akpanabia, Uyo, the state capital, this Wednesday while parading the suspects.
John said the arrest was triggered by a complaint from a woman (name withheld), who alleged that Ibanga lured her six-year-old daughter and took her to an unknown destination.
John stated, “On June 15, 2024, a woman from Afaha Atai Village, Ibesikpo Asutan LGA, reported that one Christiana Uwem Ibanga of Ekamba Nsukara Village, Uyo LGA, lured her six-year-old daughter away to an undisclosed location.
“Acting swiftly, our operatives launched an investigation and arrested Ibanga and her boyfriend, Inyene Etuk Akpan, on January 14, 2025, in Abuja.”
The suspects reportedly confessed to selling their own child in May 2024 for ₦450,000 with the help of one Saviour Aniedi.
Ibanga further admitted to conspiring with Aniedi and his wife to steal the complainant’s child, who was later sold in Aba, Abia State, to an unidentified buyer.
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has since launched a manhunt in Aba to locate the buyer and rescue the stolen child, and their arrest is imminent.
She warned criminals operating in the state to either turn a new leaf or face the full wrath of the law.