A couple who attempted to sell their one-year-old son for ₦800,000 have been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment each by the Federal High Court in Calabar, Cross River State.
The case came to light after the intended buyer reportedly alerted the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Cross River State Command, about the proposed transaction.
According to the agency, the report prompted an intervention by its officials, who intercepted the planned sale and prevented the child from being trafficked.
The defendants, Emmanuel Okechukwu Ogbodo, 28, and Peace Ufeabuchi Nnamonu, 22, were subsequently charged with conspiracy and attempted child trafficking.
They pleaded guilty to the two-count charge filed against them on October 12 and were arraigned on November 3.
Court delivers judgment
Delivering judgment, Justice Rosemary Oghoghorie found the couple guilty of both offences.
The judge handed each defendant a five-year prison sentence on the first count and two and a half years on the second count.
However, she ordered that the sentences should run concurrently, meaning the convicts will serve the longer five-year term rather than the combined seven and a half years.
Justice Oghoghorie further directed that their prison terms should begin from the respective dates of their arrest.
The offences were prosecuted under Sections 27 and 29 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
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