A woman named Christiana Ibanga and her boyfriend, Inyene Akpan, have been taken into custody by Akwa Ibom State Police Command agents on suspicion of trafficking and selling their own child for ₦450,000.
The culprits were apprehended after a tip, according to state Police Public Relations Officer DSP Timfon John, who paraded them with other suspects at the command headquarters in Ikot-Akpanabia, Uyo, the state capital, on Wednesday.
The PPRO claims that a complaint from a mother (name withheld) who said that Ibanga had enticed her six-year-old daughter and taken her to an unidentified location was what led to the arrest.
“On June 15, 2024, a woman from Afaha Atai Village, Ibesikpo Asutan LGA, reported that one Christiana Uwem Ibanga of Ekamba Nsukara Village, Uyo LGA, lured her six-year-old daughter away to an undisclosed location.
“Acting swiftly, our operatives launched an investigation and arrested Ibanga and her boyfriend, Inyene Etuk Akpan, on January 14, 2025, in Abuja,” John stated.
The suspects allegedly admitted after questioning that they had sold their own child for ₦450,000 in May 2024 with the assistance of a man named Saviour Aniedi.
Ibanga further acknowledged planning with Aniedi and his spouse to kidnap the complainant’s child, who was then sold to an unnamed buyer in Aba, Abia State.
In an effort to find the buyer and save the kidnapped youngster, the Akwa Ibom State Police Command has subsequently begun a manhunt in Aba.
“On January 23, 2025, our investigators extended their operations to Aba in pursuit of the buyer and the missing child. While the suspects in Aba remain elusive, we have made significant progress, and their arrest is imminent,” the PPRO said.
She issued a warning to lawbreakers operating in the state: either change your ways or risk the full force of the law.
Multiple arrests have resulted from the command’s stepped-up campaign on illegal drug dealers and criminal hideouts.
Happiness George, a female suspect, was arrested during the operation on suspicion of selling illegal narcotics, including Indian hemp.
Similarly, two women, Queen Sambo Umoren (age 28) and Joy Chima, were detained in a brothel in Ikot Ebong Village, Odoro Ikot Clan, in possession of a jackknife and what were believed to be Indian hemp.
Additionally, at Ikot Ekpenyong Village, 32-year-old Ekemini-Abasi Silas was apprehended arranging an unlawful roadblock and was discovered in possession of what seemed to be illegal substances.