A Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, has sentenced a couple to five years’ imprisonment each for attempting to sell their one-year-old son for N800,000.
The convicts, identified as Emmanuel Okechukwu Ogbodo, 28, and Peace Ufeabuchi Nnamonu, 22, were found guilty of conspiracy and attempted child trafficking.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Rosemary Oghoghorie convicted both defendants on a two-count charge bordering on the offences.
The judge sentenced each of them to five years’ imprisonment on the first count and two and a half years on the second count, directing that the sentences should run concurrently.
She further ordered that the jail terms should take effect from the respective dates of their arrest.
According to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Cross River State Command, the couple had arranged to sell their infant son to a third party for N800,000.
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The agency disclosed that its intervention followed a tip-off from the prospective buyer, who reported the planned transaction to the authorities.
The information prompted NAPTIP to investigate and intercept the proposed sale, leading to the arrest and eventual prosecution of the couple.
The defendants reportedly pleaded guilty to the two-count charge filed on October 12. They were subsequently arraigned on November 3.
The charges were brought under Sections 27 and 29 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition), Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
The conviction underscores the legal consequences of child trafficking and attempts to exploit children for financial gain.