Four female suspects were arrested on Tuesday, October 28, by Anambra State Police Command for alleged conspiracy and child trafficking, with a week-old baby girl rescued by operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu.
The arrested suspects were identified as Elizabeth Okafor, aged 62; Esther Nweke, 48 years old; Ngozi Maanfa, aged 45; and Peace Elijah Moses, aged 25.
Thenewsbearer reports that the operatives, who acted on credible intelligence, stormed a location identified as Mama Maternity situated at Ifite-Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area.
Confirming the incident in a statement, the police spokesman in Anambra, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said that preliminary investigation had revealed that the suspects conspired among themselves and allegedly purchased the newborn baby girl, barely a week old, for the sum of ₦1,7 million.
According to the PPRO, the suspects had reportedly paid an advance sum of ₦350,000 to the purported biological mother of the child, identified as Peace Elijah Moses, who is among the arrested persons.
“The baby girl has been safely rescued and is currently under protective care, while the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, CP Ikioye Orutugu, has ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Gender Unit, Awka, for discreet investigation and necessary prosecution.
The CP also reaffirmed the Command’s unwavering commitment to the protection of children and the ongoing fight against all forms of human trafficking in the state.
