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NAPTIP Secures 15-Year Jail Term for Baby Trafficking Couple

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NAPTIP secures 15-year jail term each for a couple convicted of trafficking babies in Cross River State by a Federal High Court in Calabar

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons NAPTIP has secured the conviction of a couple for trafficking babies in Cross River State.

Also read: Lagos Targets 50,000 Digital Skills Training Under LEDU 2026

The convicts, Esther Ini Udo, 32, and Eyo Stephen Udo, 34, were sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment each by a Federal High Court sitting in Calabar.

The couple was arraigned on a four-count charge bordering on the buying and selling of babies for exploitation under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.

NAPTIP said the first convict sold her newborn baby for N300,000 to a buyer identified as Oluchi Judith, who is currently at large.

The agency also revealed that the couple purchased a one-year-old baby boy for N150,000 from two individuals and later resold the child for N400,000 to the same buyer.

The offences were contained in charge FHC/CA/19C/2025, filed on March 19, 2025.

Both defendants initially pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Delivering judgment on April 1, 2026, Justice I. Ojukwu sentenced each convict to 15 years in prison, with an option of a N2 million fine.

The court ordered that the sentences will run concurrently from the date of judgment.

Justice Ojukwu condemned the act and warned against child trafficking for financial gain.

The court also directed NAPTIP to arrest and prosecute the alleged buyer, Oluchi Judith, for her role in the crime.

Also read: Lagos Targets 50,000 Digital Skills Training Under LEDU 2026

The ruling is part of ongoing efforts to curb human trafficking and child exploitation across Nigeria.

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EFCC Fugitive Killed in Makurdi Gun Duel Clash

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EFCC Fugitive Makurdi Gun Duel leaves a suspect dead after a clash between security operatives and alleged cult members in Benue State

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Abuja Court Jails Mother of Two for Stabbing Boyfriend to Death

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Court in Abuja sentences a 22-year-old cleaner to 20 years for fatal stabbing of her boyfriend during a fight in Kurudu, FCT (more…)

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NSCDC Shut Inner Galaxy Steel Factory After Infrastructure Theft Burst

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The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has read a riot act to economic saboteurs and vandals across the country, stating unequivocally that there is no hiding place for vandals who prey on the nation’s commonwealth and national critical assets. While addressing the media in his Abuja office, the NSCDC boss disclosed that; his leadership will smoke them out of their hiding spots and make them face the full wrath of the law.

He further disclosed that; the NSCDC has secured a sweeping court order and have sealed all operational branches of Inner Galaxy Steel Company and Jiuxing Integrity Industrial Ltd nationwide for railway materials vandalism and other grave infractions. Issuing a strict directive to the Commandant in charge of the Special Intelligence Squad, Appollos Dandaura, the CG ensured that operatives maintain absolute diligence and professionalism throughout this high-impact operation, declaring that every single suspect found culpable in this bleeding of the nation’s commonwealth will face the full wrath of the law.

This landmark action follows the recent exposure of a highly sophisticated syndicate allegedly responsible for the systematic vandalism and theft of Nigeria’s critical public infrastructure, including railway lines, power transmission equipment and telecommunications assets, with authorities now linking the stolen materials to an industrial-scale recycling operation run by the steel companies and proceeds suspected of financing terrorist activities.

Armed with valid search warrants and the newly secured court order, operatives from the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad stormed the Birnin Yero facility in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where they recovered large quantities of railway sleepers, steel tracks and other vandalized infrastructure components, all of which have been officially secured and transferred to the Nigerian Railway Corporation to be preserved as vital exhibits for the impending prosecution.

According to confessions extracted from arrested staff, the syndicate operated a well-coordinated logistics network, routinely transporting vandalized national infrastructure from various attack sites to the company’s headquarters in Aba, Abia State, as well as to other branches, where the stolen steel was melted down in industrial furnaces and recycled into commercial products including nails, roofing sheets, and reinforcement bars sold to unsuspecting members of the public.

Suspects linked to the syndicate are now facing a raft of severe criminal allegations, including conspiracy to commit felony and theft, intentional endangering of the safety of persons traveling by railway, obstruction, injury, and damage to railway infrastructure, failure to give notice or information to a public officer, dishonestly receiving and assisting in the concealment of stolen property, and giving support and financing to terrorist groups for the commission of acts of terrorism.

Consequent upon the discoveries in Kaduna and further intelligence gathering, the closure and investigation orders have been extended to cover the headquarters of Inner Galaxy Steel Company and Jiuxing Integrity Industrial Ltd in Ahala Ukwa Village, Umuahala Community, Obuzor Ukwu, Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State, as well as the northern hub in Tasha Rawayyah, Gusau, Zamfara State, along with all other branches and subsidiaries nationwide.

The NSCDC has formally summoned the Chinese nationals involved in the management of the industrial complex; however, they are yet to appear before investigators, raising potential diplomatic and legal complexities, though the CG reaffirmed that the NSCDC remains fiercely committed to reducing infrastructure vandalism to the absolute minimum.

The Corps expressed profound gratitude to the judiciary for the swift granting of these legal instruments, which prevented further interference with crucial evidence, and also commended the press for their vital partnership in shining a bright light on these economic crimes, ensuring transparency and public accountability. Members of the public are strongly urged to continue collaborating with the Corps by sharing credible, timely information to help bring an end to infrastructure theft across Nigeria.

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