Four women have been arrested by officials of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for allegedly selling a newborn baby for N1,500,000.
According to NAPTIP officials, two of the women, Bernadette Ihezuo and Cecilia Onyema, are civil servants with the Federal Ministry of Finance Abuja, and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, respectively. The third suspect, Okasi Ekeoma, is said to be Onyema’s sister, while the fourth suspect is the newborn baby’s grandmother Harrieth Nmezi who resides in Imo state.
The women were paraded before newsmen on Thursday, September 3.
According to NAPTIP officials, the teenage girl got pregnant while staying with her mother who then took her to Onyema’s residence where she lived until she delivered her baby. Immediately after delivery, the other women took the child from the young mother and sold off the baby.
They were arrested following a tipoff received by some members of the public. The baby has been rescued while the suspects have confessed to the crime and will be arraigned in court.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says it is partnering the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) to fight against trafficking and violence against persons in the country.
The IHRC disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, signed by Mr Emmanuel Kolawale, its Acting Head, Media and Public Relations.
According to the statement, the IHRC and NAPTIP have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to that effect.
It said that during the signing of the MoU, the IHRC Secretary-General, Prof. Raf Marsin Wasik, applauded NAPTIP for `standing tall’ in the fight against human trafficking in the country.
The statement said Wasik assured of the total commitment of the IHRC and the international community to support NAPTIP in its bid to end the crimes of trafficking and violence against persons in Nigeria.
It added that the Director-General of NAPTIP, Dame Julie Okah, commended the IHRC for its decision to partner with NAPTIP in the fight against trafficking and violence against persons.
The statement said Okah also assured the IHRC leadership in Nigeria and globally that NAPTIP under her watch would do everything possible to stop human trafficking and violence against persons in the country.
It added that the IHRC had nominated the NAPTIP chief executive as a Judge of the Federation of Human Rights Arbitration Court.