Dem arrest the suspects together with their friend, Precious James, wey be 26 years old, wey help dem arrange the illegal transaction and connect dem to the person wey buy the baby for Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
By Akpoguma Tejiri:
The Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking don catch one man wey im name na Anthony Igbinogun, wey be 48 years old, and im girlfriend, Joy Umukoro, wey be 28 years old, for say dem sell their one-month-old baby to take get money for drugs wey dem dey take.
Dem arrest the suspects together with their friend, Precious James, wey be 26 years old, wey help dem arrange the illegal transaction and connect dem to the person wey buy the baby for Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
When dem dey yan with journalists for Benin City, the Head of the Investigation Unit of the Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking, Abigail Ihonre, talk say dem sell the baby for N1.7 million. She talk say dem still dey investigate to rescue the baby and catch the person wey buy the one-month-old pikin.
According to Ihonre, “Our investigation show say Joy Umukoro, the mama of the baby, born the baby for April 2023, and she and her boyfriend join body sell their baby for N1.7 million. She don confess say na she sell the baby.”
“We still dey investigate the matter as we dey try find the buyers and the baby. On Monday, 26th June 2023, we go carry the matter go court, make everybody wey do bad thing face the law for their bad behavior.
“The suspects talk say dem do this bad thing because dem no fit take care of the baby. Dem talk say dem dey take drugs and when dem see say dem no fit take care of the baby, dem decide to sell am. But that one no be the right thing to do because the decision fit spoil their life.
“The punishment for trafficking na seven years for prison. I dey beg people wey no fit take care of their pikin say make dem no sell dem, but make dem bring the pikin come Edo State Taskforce Against Human Trafficking office. We dey work with the Ministry of Gender and Women Affairs and other agencies wey dey take care of children. To sell that pikin no good at all because e fit end you for prison.”
The mama of the baby, Joy Umukoro, talk say dem sell the one-month-old pikin to person wey wan buy for Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and dem pay N700,000. She talk say dem pay N500,000 cash; N170,000 dem give to the agent wey carry dem go see the buyer, while dem use the rest for drugs.
According to her, “After I born the pikin, life come hard for us and I beg my friend make she help me find person wey go buy the pikin. She give me the link. I travel go Port Harcourt with another woman and sell the pikin for seven hundred thousand naira. Na because of the drugs wey I dey take cause am. I even send some money give my other two children for their welfare and some money for my papa burial.”
For im own side, Igbinogun, the papa of the baby, talk say, “We dey live together and born the pikin, but the mama talk say she no fit take care of the pikin. She tell me say her friend Precious James find person wey wan buy the pikin and she travel go Rivers State go sell the pikin. When she come back, she give me N100,000.”
Precious James, wey arrange the illegal deal, talk say all of dem na drug addicts and dem no fit take care of the pikin. She add,
