Operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit in Afam, in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State have arrested a couple for selling their day-old child for N250,000.

The couple, Richard and Chidinma Benson, said they sold their baby to enable them to leave their village in the Isiala Ngwa North LGA of Abia State to seek better life in a town.

Chidinma had reportedly been delivered of a baby boy at Graceland Maternity Home in Afam on October 7, 2018, and she allegedly sold the baby to one Rose Onyia.

It was gathered that the baby was later resold to another child trafficker, identified as Eucharia Jaja, for N550,000 after which the infant was sold to an unnamed person in Lagos.

The couple told Punch that poverty led them to sell the baby, who they said was their fourth child.

Chidinma said, “We sold our baby to one woman (Rose Onyia). I have four children and one is late. The baby was one day old when we sold him for N250,000. I did it with my husband’s approval.

“We wanted to leave the village because we were living in poverty. My husband was a wheelbarrow pusher and we believed that if we sell the baby, we would have enough money to come to a town in Umuahia or Port Harcourt.”

Her husband, Benson Richard, confirmed that they were almost dying of poverty when they decided to sell the baby so that they could leave the village.

“My wife had a big sore in one of her legs and we needed money to treat the wound. At a point, my wife could not walk; that was when we decided to sell the baby boy after he was delivered,” Benson said.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, IGP Monitoring Unit, Benneth Igwe, said the couple and 13 other suspected child traffickers were arrested in Oyigbo and Ikwerre LGAs based on reliable intelligence.

Igwe said, “The operatives of IGP Monitoring Unit raided Afrique Hotel, Afam, in Oyigbo, Rivers State, and rescued six pregnant women.  The hotel is used as a base by suspected child traffickers.

“Information further revealed that on October 7, 2018, Chidinma was delivered of a baby boy at Graceland Maternity Home, Afam. The maternity home is owned by a quack nurse called Grace Daniel.

“The couple were paid N250,000 by one Rose Onyia and the baby was later sold to one Eucharia Jaja from Omagwa for N550,000. Thereafter, the baby was sold by Jaja to a client in Lagos. Our operatives are on the trail of the last buyer to rescue the baby.”

Igwe alleged that the child trafficking cartel had sold hundreds of children within and outside the country, adding that members of the cartel specialised in luring pregnant women to illegal maternity homes for the delivery and eventual sale of their babies.

Apart from the Bensons, Daniel and Jaja, he identified other suspected traffickers as Ikechi Nwanyanwu, Oluchi Ude, Kelechi Stephen, Destiny Sunday, Mary James, Chioma Prince, Ede Loveth, Nmesoma John and Victory Ihunna, who allegedly sold another  child for N750,000 before she was arrested.

Officers of Rapid Response Squad, RRS patrolling Lekki Epe axis of the metropolis, Lagos state at about 3am Wednesday intercepted an Uber cab driver, who was in distress at gun point by three armed robbers trying to steal his car from him.

The officers sighted him and fired a warning shot in the air, which made the bandits abandon their weapon and fled into the bush.

A notorious tout pretending to be a mad man has been arrested for alleged kidnapping in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

The culprit, simply identified as Dele, was nabbed on Monday around the Isikan area in the capital city.

An eyewitness told SaharaReporters that the supposedly mad man, who kept wandering the area alone, was suspected to be in possession of a “mobile phone” while acting funny.

The witness, who asked not to be named, disclosed that the action aroused the interest of residents of the vicinity, who immediately called for active vigilance.

He said the culprit was quickly surrounded and handed over to the officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

Pedro Awili, the Commandant of the NSCDC in Ondo State, confirmed his arrest on Tuesday afternoon.

Awili said the culprit was handed to the Corps’ Quick Respons Squad (QRS) for immediate arrest.

He later paraded the arrested culprit and seven other criminals for various offences before journalists at the command’s Alagbaka office.

“The QRS team of the Command on October 15 arrested one Dele who was pretending as a madman at Isikan area of Akure with Itel phone,” he said.

“When our men arrested him and checked his mobile phone after some few seconds, he got a payment alert of N1.5 million into his account.

“Immediately the alert entered, he forcefully collected the mobile phone and smashed it on the floor. We went to repair the mobile phone to know and ascertain the person that sent the money to him and the persons he is working for.”

The Ondo NSCDC boss said culprit belongs to a gang of serial kidnap syndicate terrorizing people and innocent residents of the state.

He vowed that the command would investigate the case to a conclusion and ensure justice is properly served on the culprit and his cohorts in the state.

He advised the public to cooperate with the security agencies by giving the command timely and accurate information capable of leading to the arrest of criminal elements in the state.