The Federal High Court in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced a couple to five years in prison each for attempting to sell their one-year-old son for N800,000.
‎‎The convicts, Emmanuel Okechukwu Ogbodo, 28, and Peace Ufeabuchi Nnamonu, 22, were found guilty of conspiracy and attempted child trafficking.
‎‎Justice Rosemary Oghoghorie, who delivered the judgment on Thursday, imposed five years’ imprisonment on each defendant on the first count and two and a half years on the second count. However, she ordered that both sentences should run concurrently and take effect from the respective dates of their arrests.
‎‎The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Cross River Command, said the couple had arranged to hand over their child to a prospective buyer in exchange for N800,000.
‎‎According to the agency, the planned transaction was uncovered after the intended buyer alerted it, leading to an intervention that stopped the sale.
‎‎NAN reports that the defendants pleaded guilty to the two-count charge filed against them on October 12. They were subsequently arraigned on November 3.
‎‎The offences contravene Sections 27 and 29 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
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