The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has commenced investigations into a suspected child trafficking network involving newborn babies in Cross River State.
The agency’s Head of Operations in the Cross River Command, Jacob Oba, disclosed this on Monday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar.
Oba said three women in Obubura were allegedly involved in plans to acquire newborn babies after claiming to be experiencing what they described as “cryptic pregnancies,” a condition they said made their pregnancies difficult to detect.
According to him, the women had allegedly contacted midwives as part of arrangements to source newborn children.
He further disclosed that a woman from Akwa Ibom allegedly took a one-week-old baby girl from her biological mother and later sold the child to one of the women for N3 million.
The NAPTIP official said the woman who allegedly purchased the baby and the two others were in the process of arranging for more newborns when security personnel intercepted them.
He explained that investigations later revealed that the biological mother of the baby was from Akwa Ibom, supporting the suspicion that the child had been unlawfully taken before being sold.
Oba also said the three women were suspected of having links to baby factory activities. However, he clarified that the newborn involved in the particular case was not allegedly sourced from the facility connected to any of the suspects.
He said the incident was discovered after members of the community intercepted a vehicle conveying the women and the baby and alerted security personnel.
According to him, the woman who allegedly bought the child initially presented herself as the baby’s mother but became suspicious when she was unable to breastfeed the infant after security officers asked her to do so.
The woman and the two other suspects were subsequently taken into custody for questioning. During the investigation, security personnel traced and arrested the alleged supplier of the baby.
Oba said the supplier reportedly admitted to selling the newborn, prompting NAPTIP to expand its investigation into the circumstances surrounding the child’s disappearance and alleged sale.
