On February 18, 2025, the Cross River State Command of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) achieved two convictions in a child trafficking case (Charge No. FHC/CA/178C/2024) at the Federal High Court in Calabar.
The first convict, Nkese Asuquo Ita (22 years old), was found guilty of abducting a 1-year, 7-month-old baby in Calabar and selling the child to the second convict, Ikpeogu Ebele (54 years old), in Aba for ₦400,000. Ebele subsequently resold the child to another individual for ₦900,000.
Both defendants pleaded guilty to the charges. Nkese Ita was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, while Ikpeogu Ebele, under a plea bargain agreement, received a 4-year prison term, a ₦1 million fine, and was ordered to pay ₦1.5 million to support the victim and NAPTIP's trust fund.
The case remains ongoing for two other defendants, with the next hearing scheduled for April 2, 2025.
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