The mother of the trafficked child, simply identified as Rachael, a resident of Asaba, has confessed that she was lured into selling her eleven-day-old baby for N600,000.
Three suspects, all women, are in police custody at the Delta State Police Command as investigations into the crime continue.
“The father of the child abandoned me and the pregnancy. I was supported by neighbours and people of goodwill before I delivered the baby girl.
“Eleven days after delivery, I was introduced to a vendor who promised to help me but later took advantage of my distress and persuaded me to sell the baby. I did, and I was paid N600,000,” Rachael confessed.
Those who had supported her during the pregnancy became concerned when they noticed Rachael without the baby.
Upon inquiry, she admitted to the crime and was promptly arrested along with the contact who linked her to the vendor.
The vendor confessed to selling the baby for N3.5 million and giving the mother N570,000 after deducting N30,000, which she had previously lent her.
The third suspect, a woman from Delta, who bought the child, claimed she paid N4 million.
Parading the suspects, the Public Relations Officer of the Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, stated that they had all confessed to their involvement in the crime.
Edafe, in a voice note, said: “We have come to realise that the business of baby factories is on the rise, and we are going to fight it head-on.
“The other day, we apprehended three women who were attempting to transport three different children to Abuja via Asaba International Airport. Thankfully, they were caught and arrested.
“Today, we have three suspects. The mother of the child, who is just over a week old, handed the baby to one woman, who then sold the child to a third woman for N4 million, although she claimed to have received N3.5 million.
“The most shocking aspect is that the woman who sold the baby for N4 million—or N3.5 million, as she claimed—gave the mother not even up to N600,000.”
Meanwhile, the baby has been recovered and remains in the custody of the Delta State Police Command at the time of reporting.