A woman, Christiana Ibanga, and her partner, Inyene Akpan, have been arrested by the Akwa Ibom State Police for allegedly trafficking and selling their child for N450,000.
The arrests were made following a tip-off from a woman (name withheld) who reported that Ibanga had lured her six-year-old daughter away to an unknown location.
According to police spokesperson DSP Timfon John, the incident was reported on June 15, 2024, by a woman from Afaha Atai Village, Ibesikpo Asutan LGA, claiming that Ibanga took her daughter to an undisclosed destination. Following a swift investigation, officers apprehended Ibanga and Akpan on January 14, 2025, in Abuja.
During interrogation, the suspects confessed to selling the child for N450,000 in May 2024, with assistance from one Saviour Aniedi. Ibanga further admitted to conspiring with Aniedi and his wife to abduct the child, who was then sold in Aba, Abia State, to an unidentified buyer.
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has launched an operation in Aba to locate the buyer and recover the child. Authorities are optimistic that the buyer’s arrest is imminent.
“While the suspects in Aba are still at large, we are making significant progress in their pursuit,” DSP John stated. She also warned criminals in the state to repent or face the full consequences of the law.
