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Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Two Federal Government staff, identified as Mrs Cecelia Ugbaku Onyema, a staff of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Abuja, and Mrs Bernadette Chinonso Ihezuo of Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja, have been arrested by the operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for alleged human trafficking.
NAPTIP said its operatives arrested the suspects in early hours of Sunday, August, 23, when they raided the resident of Mrs Onyema, located at number 1314 bridge street, Sabon Gari, Mararaba, Nasarawa State.
The Director General of NAPTIP, Julie Okah-Donli, who paraded the suspects at the NAPTIP headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, said that her operatives also rescued a 16-year-old girl from Imo state who just gave birth to a baby boy and the boy was sold at the sum of N1.5 million to Mrs Ihezuo.
She explained: ‘Following the raid, the suspects were arrested while the baby was also rescued and is presently in the facilities of the Agency. But further investigations took the operatives to Owerri, the lmo State capital where one Mrs Okasi Ekeoma (sister to Cecilia) who brought the pregnant girl to Cecilia was arrested.
‘Also arrested in Owerri was the Mother of the young mother, Mrs Harrieth Nmezi. Preliminary investigations revealed that the two women masterminded the movement of the girl from Owerri to Mararaba and made the transaction with the buyer. They also received the money from Mrs lhezuo. But from all indications and questions, Ekeoma has been in the business of selling babies.
‘All the suspects have confessed to the crime and would soon be charged to Court for prosecution, as the crime they committed violated various sections of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.’
The NAPTIP boss said that her concern was that illegal child adoption activities have continued to fuel incidences of baby factories across the country because many vulnerable persons now see the act as a means of getting money even at the risk of their lives.
‘It encourages organised rape and sexual assault because girls in those baby factory facilities are usually impregnated by hired rapists in most cases. It also leads to increased cases of domestic violence because greater number of husbands are deceived by their wives, they are made to believe that their wife is pregnant because they are pumped up with steroids which later become major issues of confrontation when it gets exposed,’ she said.
The suspects, when interviewed by journalists at the premises of NAPTIP confirmed that they committed the offence.
Photo caption:
1) Mother of the young mother, Mrs Harrieth Nmezi (wearing red hair net)
2) Mrs Cecelia Ugbaku Onyema (wearing black hair tie)
3) Mrs Bernadette Chinonso Ihezuo (wearing red face mask)
4) Mrs Okasi Ekeoma (wearing jeans trousers)
